Paralegal Jobs

What is a paralegal?

A paralegal is trained to assist lawyers and other legal professionals in a variety of different legal capacities. Usually, the paralegal job roles take on more responsibility beyond clerical tasks but will differ from a lawyer’s role in that the paralegal’s role does not require you to be qualified as a regulated provider under The Legal Services Act 2007. There will be some level of involvement in many aspects of the legal work, typically, these will involve a variety of administrative or legal work such as drafting legal documentation or conducting research and supporting a lawyer’s or law firm’s work.

What does a paralegal do?

Paralegal job roles will vary depending on experience and their area of specialism. Paralegals jobs are found across the public, private and not-for-profit sector, and can specialise in a range of different areas including family law, conveyancing, dispute resolution, employment, family, personal injury, litigation, and crime. General duties of a paralegal will include preparation of legal documents, administrative duties and conducting research. They may also be responsible for providing quotes to clients, interviewing clients or witnesses, and giving clients legal information.

What are the working hours of a paralegal?

Paralegals will generally work around a Monday to Friday structure in an office environment; however, the average hours worked a week will vary depending on the organisation and specialism.

Government and corporate roles will generally be structured around a 9am - 5pm working day. Private law firms may work longer hours in the case of client emergencies and trial preparation. In many roles, a paralegal will occasionally be required to go to court and attend other meetings.

How do you become a paralegal?

Unlike other law roles you won’t need a law degree to become a paralegal, it is essential you have a good knowledge of the legal sector and the processes that are involved. Work experience in the sector will be valuable when applying for a paralegal role, such as taking on pro bono work and open days.

Those new to the profession can take specialist qualifications that can give them the knowledge and skills necessary to work as a paralegal, ranging from level 3 to level 7 diplomas in paralegal practice, that you can undertake to get into the field. Some of the skills a paralegal will need to work effectively are commercial awareness, research, and organisations skills, excellent written and English communication skills, ability to multitask and time management, problem-solving, IT, and administration skills. It’s worth also noting that there are up to more than 24 different practice areas of law that you could practice within as a paralegal. Each of these practice areas may need different skills and slightly more nuanced approach to your work This should be something you take into account when you choose a firm or decide to move into a different sector than the one you are specialised in.

Once you are in as a junior or entry level paralegal, you should expect your salary to vary anywhere from £14,000 to 24,000. From there the average salary as a paralegal with some experience will be around £25,000 and you can see this rise to as high as 40,000 to 70,000 in some cases as a senior paralegal. The latter figure is more likely for a reputable firm within London but will not be offered by all companies.

_{*Please note that all salaries are based on Glassdoor 2021 figures}.