Paralegal (England and Wales): Job description and activities

Paralegals are employed across a range of organisations including law firms, the public sector, business and industry. The term ‘paralegal’ covers a wide range of roles depending on the organisation but, in summary, it means someone who does legal work but who is not a qualified lawyer. Other job titles, such as legal assistant or caseworker, may also be used.

There are no specific qualifications or experience required for someone to be able to call themselves a paralegal. However, training and qualifications are available through organisations such as the Institute of Paralegals , the National Association of Licensed Paralegals , Paralegal Distance Learning and The Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) . It is likely that as the profession grows it will become more regulated.

The role of a paralegal can involve anything from basic level administrative work to higher level casework. Typical work activities include:

administration, including arranging meetings, telephone work, billing;
drafting and proofreading, including compiling attendance notes, taking notes at court, proofreading documents, letter writing;
preparing litigation bundles and managing case files;
legal research;
liaising with clients (in more senior roles);
taking witness statements.

Career routes vary from roles taken as a short-term option to build up legal experience to individuals who reach more senior positions as career paralegals.

Vacancies are advertised directly and through recruitment agencies. These will usually require you to already have relevant experience. Many positions are filled through individuals making speculative applications.

For more information see Legal executive (England and Wales).

Advert disclaimer

AGCAS