Business, the public sector and law firms all make use of paralegals, so the field covers a wide variety of work. A job as a paralegal could be in a variety of legal jobs differing from one organisation to the next. Typically paralegals are tasked with legal work that does not require specific law qualifications. Paralegals are sometimes also called case workers or legal assistants.
Because of the various roles, there are no specific qualifications or types of experience needed for someone to justifiably refer to themselves a paralegal. If you want a qualification that will help you, you can get it from Institute of Paralegals, the National Association of Licensed Paralegals or ILEX. Increasingly employers are looking for relevant qualifications. so the paralegal trade could become more regulated.
The work paralegals do varies and can range in responsibility from administrative tasks to doing case work on law suits.
Usually paralegals work activities will include:
- Admin duties, scheduling meetings, using the phone, issuing bills
- Writing letters, proof reading, taking minutes in meetings, taking notes in court, writing attendance notes
- Seeing to the preparation of litigation bundles and the management of case files
- You may be tasked with research
- More senior paralegals communicate with clients
- Take statements from witnesses
You can apply for temporary positions or look to build a career in an organisation. Senior posts are available if you develop your career as a paralegal.
Specialist legal recruiters are the best organisations to approach when looking for paralegal jobs. Most positions will usually require some sort of experience, although you should be able to find a place to get your foot in the door. You may be able to volunteer to get some on the job training. This way you can get some experience that will help you find a full time job.
