Career Path

THE RECOMMENDED CAREER PATH FOR THOSE ENTERING THE PROFESSION

FOR ANYONE:

Whether you are studying Law or not and want an insight into the practical side of working in the legal profession, we recommend the following

Accredited Practical Skills Course run by :www.ahparalegal.co.uk

FOR THOSE WITH NO LEGAL BACKGROUND OR QUALIFICATION

1. The Higher Certificate in Paralegal Studies, or The Advanced Award in Paralegal Studies for the Voluntary and Community Sectorswhich leads to Associate Membership (A.PLL). (For further information please see separate heading)

Once Associate Membership has been obtained, a Member can progress to:

2. The Fellowship Award (F.PLL) - in any one of 17 different legal areas

and/or,

3. Apply for a Licence (providing the criteria can be satisfied - see separate heading for licensing criteria)

FOR THOSE WHO ARE LAW GRADUATES (LLB, CPE OR DIPLAW )

1. The Post Graduate Diploma in Paralegal Practice (Grad.PLL)
(For further information, please see separate heading)

2. Apply for a Licence - any member who satisfies the criteria laid down by the Licensing Board can apply for a Licence (For further information, please see separate heading)

OUR QUALIFICATIONS ARE FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO BECOME CAREER PARALEGALS

By becoming a Member of The National Association of Licensed Paralegals it is possible to qualify as a Paralegal and to gain recognition as such within a reasonable time and at a reasonable cost. It must be stressed, however, that the Association exists for career Paralegals and does not provide a stepping stone, or route, to becoming qualified as a Solicitor - (full details on how to become a Solicitor can be obtained from The Law Society. www.lawsociety.org.uk ).

A PARALEGAL CAREER IS VERY REWARDING

The career as a Paralegal is extremely interesting and full of 'job satisfaction'. Salaries are good and are not far short of those of a Solicitor of equal experience. It is impossible to give accurate guidelines because salaries vary in accordance with the size of the firm and geographical location and also, of course, with the job description.

WHAT KIND OF WORK?

The majority of Paralegals work in Solicitors' firms and what are termed 'fee earning unadmitted staff'. The Term 'fee earning' means that they are part of those employees who directly produce income, or 'fees' for the firm (as opposed, for example, to those who carry out secretarial or administrative duties). This means, therefore, that they have their own clients and their own files, or case load.

'Unadmitted staff' are those members of a law firm who are not qualified solicitors (when a Solicitor qualifies s/he is 'admitted' to the roll of solicitors).

However, Paralegals do virtually the same work as Solicitors do. There are very few things that only a Solicitor has a monopoly by statute to do.

The kind of legal work that a Paralegal will do will include such areas as:

Civil Litigation (i.e. Court work) - including General and Commercial litigation,
Personal Injury and Medical Negligence litigation,
Criminal work,
Matrimonial (including Civil Partnerships) and Family,
Corporate and Commercial,
Probate and Administration,
Wills and Trusts,
Employment,
Business,
Insolvency,
Residential Conveyancing,
Commercial Conveyancing,
Landlord & Tenant,
Welfare,
Immigration,
Taxation,
Banking.
Intellectual property and Patents,
etc.

Some of these areas will include the opportunity to practice some advocacy (i.e. representing a client) in front of:

a District Judge in the 'Small Claims Court',
a District Judge or High Court Master on an interim hearing in a litigation matter
a District Judge on an ancillary relief hearing in a matrimonial issue
a Chairman of a Tribunal

A PARALEGAL ALSO NEEDS INTER-PERSONAL SKILLS

In addition to legal knowledge and understanding, a Paralegal will also need inter-personal skills, as the practice of law involves interacting with other people, be it a client, another lawyer, a police officer, a court official, a District Judge or High Court Master, etc. Skills, such as those required for interviewing, communicating, negotiating, writing are extremely valuable as are general IT and keyboarding skills.

Paralegals usually tend to specialise in a particular area of law. If they start off, say, in the Litigation Department of a firm, then they will tend to stay, and specialise in the area of litigation. When they seek another job for career advancement, they will tend to look for one in that same legal area - litigation. This, however, will very much depend on the type of firm for which the Paralegal is working. The larger the firm, the narrower the area of specialisation. In a small, sole principal, firm, it is more likely that the Paralegal will be involved in legal areas across the board.

A THOROUGH GROUNDING IN THE ENGLISH LEGAL SYSTEM AND LEGAL PROCEDURES

Paralegalism, of course, exists at many levels within an organisation. There are junior paralegals and very senior paralegals and paralegals may perform many different functions. However, at whatever level they all have one thing in common, and that is the necessity for a thorough grounding in the English Legal System, the main areas of substantive law and also legal procedure.
Even though paralegals may tend to specialise, the philosophy of the Association is that to succeed as a specialist, a paralegal must start as a generalist. No specialist area exists in a vacuum or in isolation. All specialised areas of law and practice will also need an understanding of how the legal system works as a whole, and of the most common areas of substantive law. This is why the Association insists on a broad syllabus for the qualification in law and procedure. The successful paralegal will use this knowledge every day in their future specialised career.