Paralegal
What does a paralegal do?
As a paralegal, you'll carry out certain legal tasks and services, such as undertaking legal research, preparing legal documents and giving some legal advice.
A paralegal is a highly-valued member of a legal team that has extensive knowledge of the law and legal matters, but is not a qualified lawyer. Paralegals undertake a wide variety of administrative and legal work. They work with solicitors, barristers and/or chartered legal executives and are often associate members of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx).
A paralegal’s role is to support lawyers in their work and they can choose to specialise in a specific area of the law.
Types of paralegal
There are many areas that a paralegal can specialise in,
but here are a few to get you started:
Family law
Criminal defence law
Real estate law
Corporate law
Intellectual property law
Estate planning and probate law
Areas of specialisation include:
advocacy and mediation
commercial, corporate and business law
consumer law
contracts/dispute resolution
conveyancing and property
crime
debt recovery and mortgage repossessions
employment law
litigation (criminal and civil)
matrimonial and family law
personal injury
wills, probate and administration of estates.
Qualifications
Although there are no official qualifications needed to become a paralegal, you will want to consider carefully what you study.
In such a competitive environment, it is beneficial if you have:
Past legal experience in the area of law you wish to practise
Studied these relevant areas of law and have shown an academic interest
A-Levels
Although you do not technically need a degree, it may be beneficial considering the competitive nature of the career path.
Taken from Lawyerportal.
Apprenticeship Route
In general, paralegal apprenticeships are aimed at school leavers and those seeking an alternative to university.
For example, CILEx aims its programme at school leavers with a minimum of five GCSEs from A*-C/9-4 including English and Maths and three Cs at A-Level and a good level of written English.
For more information :
https://www.thelawyerportal.com/study-law/legal-apprenticeships/paralegal-apprenticeship-guide/
https://www.thelawyerportal.com/careers/what-is-a-paralegal/paralegal-salary-guide/
To look for opportunities :
https://www.thelawyerportal.com/deadlines/law-apprenticeship-deadlines/
https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch
Employers
With experience, it's possible to work freelance or as a sole trader, or to own a paralegal practice.
Look for job vacancies at:
Try registering with a specialist recruitment agency, such as:
Career Videos
YouTube channels:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2YvHxYsLTB1nzQAeQtUCPg