Paralegals Archives - Small Business Insider

Important Transferable Skills That Paralegals Gain In The Workplace

Posted on April 26, 2022 Written by Administrator

Training as a paralegal is a great way to start your career in the legal sector. But that’s far from all there is to gain from becoming a paralegal. Unlike other routes into the legal sector, paralegal work involves a lot more freedom and variety of experience, allowing you to focus on the skills, areas and clients that you want. So, what can kind of personal development can you hope to achieve as you work towards becoming, and indeed whilst working as, a paralegal?

1. Office skills

The skills needed in your work as a paralegal, i.e., source analysis, critical reading and writing and digital knowhow, are useful for any career. These office skills, essential for paralegal work, offer a promising outlook for climbing the ladder as a leading paralegal. However, lots of these skills, such as learning to use office software, writing a formal letter, organising your own time and workload, are useful skills to have navigating life in the 2020s.

2. Self-confidence

Lots of the day-to-day work of a paralegal requires working closely with other legal professionals and clients. It would be hard for a fresh paralegal to get far without picking up some useful interpersonal and communicative skills. The ideal paralegal will develop the self-confidence to assert themselves at work, pursue their clients’ interests and express themselves clearly.

3. Independence

As a qualified freelance paralegal, you’re free to take on as much, or as little, work as you like. If you would like to build your portfolio as a paralegal, you’re free to take on as many clients as you can handle. If you have other responsibilities, maybe you’re a parent or care-giver, the flexibility of freelance work allows you to pursue a high-powered profession while also keeping on top of your personal life. Besides the personal development provided by the job, the flexibility and freedom given to paralegals allows you to pursue any further personal development without having to choose between yourself and your career.

4. Formal personal development courses

Alongside the opportunities for personal development that come with the role, there are also plenty of training courses provided by licensing bodies and law offices. For example, at NALP we offer training courses alongside our paralegal qualifications to help you develop soft skills that are applicable in a variety of workplaces. The potential for progression in the legal industry is fantastic, and employers are usually happy to invest in upskilling their talent.

5. Network with people in the legal sector

Pursuing a career as a paralegal will expose you to a variety of people, from different backgrounds, destined for different places. The people you rub shoulders with as a paralegal could one day offer you a job, or help you find clients. More than just networking, meeting a variety of driven, capable people is a great way to make friends.

The opportunities for personal development and transferable skills afforded by a career as a paralegal are part of what make it such an appealing career choice. You won’t leave your first job without being able to navigate your way around a bustling office, deftly use various office software platforms and speak with confidence. But most of all, on every step of the journey, work as a paralegal offers you the freedom to pursue other ways of developing yourself personally and professionally. Freedom to train remotely and, once qualified, practice in a workplace that suits you: as part of a large law firm; as your own boss; as a freelancer. Whatever way you want to see yourself develop; the paralegal profession can help you achieve it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Hamilton is Chief Executive of the National Association of Licenced Paralegals(NALP), a non-profit membership body and the only paralegal body that is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications in England). Through its Centres around the country, accredited and recognised professional paralegal qualifications are offered for those looking for a career as a paralegal professional.

Web: http://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk

Twitter: @NALP_UK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalAssocationsofLicensedParalegals/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-hamilton-llb-hons-840a6a16/

Three ways to check if a Paralegal is Licenced to Practise – before you engage them.

Posted on November 6, 2017 Written by Administrator

More and more small businesses are turning to Paralegals to help with a variety of legal issues.

Most Paralegals offer a great service, at a fraction of the cost of a solicitor or barrister, but it is still worth checking that you are using a registered practitioner:

If they do not work for a solicitor or barrister, then you should ensure that they are a member of a professional body such as NALP (National Association of Licenced Paralegals) or registered with the PPR (Professional Paralegal Register).
They should have either a NALP Licence to Practise or a PPR Practising Certificate, and should have professional indemnity insurance (PII).
Ensure that the activity you need help with is something that a Paralegal is allowed to deal with. Essentially, Paralegals can do almost everything a solicitor can do.

However, there are a few exceptions, known as ‘reserved activities’ i.e. activities that remain the monopoly of solicitors:

For example, to buy or sell property, an individual must be a solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer (licensed through the Council for Licensed Conveyancers), otherwise they cannot perform a conveyancing transaction on your behalf.

A Paralegal cannot apply for a Grant of Probate on behalf of an Executor of a Will, although they can advise the Executor her/himself how to go about it.

Paralegals do not have an automatic right to appear in all courts on behalf of a client, although they can represent a client at most Tribunals and before a District Judge in small civil claims in the County Court. However, most higher Courts will, at the discretion of the Judge, and with prior notice of representation being given, accept a Paralegal to represent a litigant, provided the Judge is of the opinion that the Paralegal is competent to do so.

In the unlikely event that things don’t go as planned and you need to make a complaint about a Paralegal, here’s how:

If you are making a complaint about a Paralegal who is employed:

Communicate your concerns to the Paralegal to give him/her a chance to put things right. If you get no joy from this, then if the Paralegal is employed,
contact the employer clearly stating your complaints to give them a chance to sort it out. If, however, you are still not satisfied,
you can take the matter further by contacting the Legal Ombudsman (Office of Legal Complaints). However, this route only applies to Paralegals who are employed by a regulated professional such as a solicitor or a barrister.

If the Paralegal is working for themselves and has not put things right to your satisfaction and the Paralegal is a member of NALP or another body then you can:

Communicate your concerns to the Paralegal to give him/her a chance to put things right. If you are not satisfied then:
Make a complaint in writing and request an investigation to the Paralegal’s Membership Body. The membership body will investigate and then respond within a given time frame. See NALP’s Policy regarding complaints about a member.

NALP has Codes of Conduct and Ethics for members and Guidance to members on Offering Legal Services and Holding Out to which all NALP registered Members have to agree. It is a requirement that all Paralegals offering legal services, must have Professional Indemnity Insurance and either a NALP Licence to Practise, or PPR Practising Certificate. NALP can apply stringent sanctions against any member against whom a complaint has been upheld.

Finally, Paralegals can help with a wide variety of legal issues, and many specialise in specific areas, for example dealing with disputes between landlords and tenants, or chasing debts, and they charge much less than solicitors, so are well worth considering if you have a legal issue.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Hamilton is Chief Executive of NALP, a non-profit Membership Body as well as being the only Paralegal body that is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications in England & Wales). Through its training arm, NALP Training, accredited recognised professional paralegal qualifications are offered for a career as a paralegal professional.

See: http://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk and http://www.nalptraining.co.uk/nalp_training

Twitter: @NALP_UK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalAssocationsofLicensedParalegals/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-hamilton-llb-hons-840a6a16/

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Important Transferable Skills That Paralegals Gain In The Workplace

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