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07 April 2023 / Amanda Hamilton
Issue: 8020 / Categories: Features , Profession , Career focus , Training & education
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Paralegals: different paths to the law

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A diverse range of opportunities (and a convenient gap in the legal market) awaits those choosing a career as a paralegal, writes Amanda Hamilton
  • Today many people who want a legal career are choosing to become paralegals.
  • Apart from ‘reserved activities’, paralegals can do mostly everything that a solicitor can do.
  • As a paralegal you can provide a cost-effective service, backed by the credibility of being a member of a recognised membership body for paralegals.

Over the centuries in England, it’s been the case that consumers of legal services tend to consider a ‘lawyer’ to be either a barrister or a solicitor. Not so anymore! Many people who want a legal career are choosing to become paralegals.

Paralegals are educated and trained in a similar way to solicitors. Some of them have law degrees, while others have successfully completed nationally recognised paralegal qualifications. They can do mostly everything that a solicitor can do, except the practice of some activities which remain the monopoly of solicitors. These activities

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Forbes Solicitors—Stephen Barnfield

Forbes Solicitors—Stephen Barnfield

Regulatory team boosted by partner hire amid rising health and safety demand

Arc Pensions Law—Kris Weber

Arc Pensions Law—Kris Weber

Legal director promoted to partner at specialist pensions firm

Clarke Willmott—Jonathan Cree

Clarke Willmott—Jonathan Cree

Residential development capability expands with partner hire in Birmingham

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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