I am sure that by now, given that we have shared a few photos on Facebook and LinkedIn – well maybe a little more than a few 🤭, you know that we had an exciting time last week, with Nigel, Amy, Julie and I travelling to Birmingham for the National Paralegal Awards at the Grand Hotel.  Wearing our ‘out to impress’ clothes, we met up with some great people to celebrate the achievements of Paralegals.

While at the event Nigel and I got talking to Judi Bonham (Managing Director), Louise Kelly (Solicitor) and Stacey Griffiths (Best Family Law Paralegal 2023), all of WSP Solicitors in Gloucester about Paralegals in general.

Nigel and Judi discussed the changes they had seen within Law Firms and how they utilised Paralegals from when they first started their law careers.  They both commented on how good it was to see Paralegals being recognised in their own right.

I was not aware of this change, having started my working career in a different profession, so being a bit of a history enthusiast, I investigated the history of Paralegals in the UK.

History of Paralegals in the UK

The concept of a Paralegal in America began in the 1960s, however, it was not until the mid 1980s that this idea moved over to the UK.  Thereafter Paralegals had their own incorporated professional bodies set up, the oldest being the Institute of Paralegals (IoP).  However, the term Paralegal did not really become common until the 1990s in the UK.

As with most things, Paralegals exist as a result of socioeconomic factors.

During the 1980s onwards, Legal Firms became more accessible to the ‘ordinary’ individual than any other time previously.  It was during this period that Legal Aid became a matter of serious political concern as expenditure had risen to over £342 million a year.  The two main reasons being Solicitors’ social welfare work which increased from around 27,000 in 1976 to over 172,000 in 1986 and the second was a tightening of Asylum Law which caused an increase in immigration disputes.  Along with these factors, Margaret Thatcher pushed the ownership of your own home and social pressures relaxed in terms of family matters.  These all contributed to increased pressures on Law Firms.

During this time Law Firms began to experience severe recruitment, as well as financial, pressures. Too many jobs and not enough qualified solicitors. This caused a supply and demand issue.  With not enough solicitors to fulfil the available jobs, those that wanted to move could command salaries that many smaller Legal Firms could just not afford.

As with most things you either die or adapt and Legal Firms adapted.  Training their legal secretaries, or assistants, to do more and more legal work.  As the secretaries and assistants obtained more extensive and specialist training, they found their own legal knowledge increased and Paralegals were born.

What do Paralegals do?

For those who are not sure what a Paralegal is or does, a Paralegal is a professional who undertakes legal work and performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts, but who is not qualified as a regulated provider under The Legal Services Act 2007, such as Solicitor or Barrister.  Legal work is considered advising and assisting with matters relating to the law, including drafting documents such as Wills, Contracts and Statements, or attending Tribunals, in much the same way that a solicitor or legal executive would.  Clerical/administrative work in the legal sector does not count as legal work, but it does enable anyone wishing to be a Paralegal to become a trainee or Affiliate.

It is unclear how many Paralegals there are in the United Kingdom, however, it was estimated in 2014 that there were approximately 76,000 and it was predicted that this would grow by 17% by 2024.  You will find Paralegals, at many levels, in pretty much every aspect of law.  From conveyancing, such as Julie, who was Highly Commended in the Conveyancing Paralegal 2023 Category and myself, Best Will Writer Paralegal 2023 (thought I would just get this in again, in case you missed the original posts).  They cannot however undertake any activities that are reserved to solicitors under the Solicitors Act 1974, undertake immigration work if not registered with Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner or undertake some types of claims/compensation work if not registered with Ministry of Justice.

Institute of Paralegals Membership

The Institute of Paralegals (IoP), of which Julie and I are members, has six separate levels. Student, Affiliate, Associate, Qualified, Graduate and finally Fellow, which is the level that both Julie and I hold.  To become a Fellow of the IoP you are must hold a Level 6 qualification and have at least 4 years legal practice experience. I know what you are thinking, how can Julie and I possibly have so much legal practice experience as we both look so young – but we really do.

If anyone wants to know more about a career as a Paralegal or join the IoP, please follow this link:

Institute of Paralegals (IoP) | The Professional Body for Paralegals (theiop.org)

 

Written by Serena Ely