Most of us have heard the term paralegal, but do you know what a paralegal actually does? Or the best route to take to become a paralegal? Today we’re looking at some of the top questions we hear about paralegals and get some help answering them from multi-award-winning paralegal and alumnus John Paul Stothard (F.Inst.Pa, MCILEx).
By Cara Fielder. Published 8 Novemeber 2024.
What's the difference between a paralegal and a solicitor?
Paralegals and solicitors are not the same. Qualified solicitors can represent you in most courts, whereas paralegals can advise you on legal details when you don’t need to representation. The Law Society describes a paralegal role as, “Paralegals assist lawyers in their work. They undertake some of the same work as lawyers but do not give advice to consumers of legal services.”
Paralegals require supervision on regulated work as the role in general is unregulated. They don’t have the right to appear and conduct proceedings in court on behalf of their client and they aren’t permitted to carry out specific reserved legal activity. This includes:
- make court applications
- conduct litigation
- prepare any instrument of transfer or charge relating to the Land Registration Act 1925
- probate activities
- notarial activities
- the administration of oaths.
What are the benefits of being a paralegal?
Some people use the role of paralegal as a stepping stone to becoming a solicitor or barrister. Working as a paralegal in a specific area allows you to hone your skills, maybe in employment or criminal law. If you were a trainee, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to have this focus and spend short periods of time on varying legal areas.
Working as a paralegal at a particular firm can also increase your chances of getting a training contract/qualifying work experience (QWE) with them, as many like to promote internally.
However, many people thrive as a paralegal and enjoy the role without ever considering moving further. This will be a purely personal decision depending on your circumstances.
Is a legal secretary the same as a paralegal?
Paralegals and legal secretaries are not the same thing. Legal secretaries provide clerical support to solicitors, barristers and the law courts. Their role may include diary management, preparing basic contracts and assisting with correspondence. A paralegal’s role is also to assist, but with more focus on work that requires legal knowledge.
Are paralegals paid as much as solicitors?
No, paralegals are not generally paid as much as solicitors due to their different levels of responsibility. Paralegals usually cost significantly less for the client too, making them a vital alternative.
“The role of a paralegal is very important. Not only can they provide a great amount of assistance, but independent paralegals can also be a much cheaper alternative to solicitors and lawyers if a person is just wanting advice.” - alumnus John Paul Stothard.
What qualifications do you need to be a paralegal?
Technically, you do not require any specific qualifications to work as a paralegal. However, the chance of a firm progressing your application without some sort of legal experience, work-based or education, would be minimal.
How do you become a paralegal? You can work towards a career as a paralegal by starting with a law degree such as our LLB Law or one of our law conversion courses if you already have an undergraduate degree in another subject. This will give you a good grounding in law and allow you to hit the ground running. However, if you would like to specialise as a paralegal, you could study one of our specialist paralegal qualifications, awarded by The University of Law and offered by CLT Scotland (English and Scots law available).
Is being a paralegal a good career?
Only an experienced professional can answer this one, so we’re going to leave it to John…
“For any students considering a career as a paralegal – do it. If you know what you want to study and you think it will be beneficial to your career or future, then I can’t think of a better way to study than to choose CLT Scotland and The University of Law. Even with my knowledge, I have been thinking of a return to study a further qualification. Being a paralegal has been one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I can’t recommend it enough.”
Follow in John’s footsteps and study the Specialist Paralegal Qualification in Employment Law with us.
