Can you be a paralegal with just a law degree?

Dec 20, 2022

Written By Isabella Rzym

When applying for a paralegal role as a law graduate, it is often difficult to ascertain whether prospective employers also seek practical legal work experience. If such experience is indeed a prerequisite to becoming a paralegal, this seems a somewhat catch-22 situation and leads one to wonder “how does anyone ever get on the ladder?”. There is no single answer to such a question, and we will explore how both routes can lead to the same destination.

What responsibilities are involved in being a paralegal?

To fully assess whether you can be a paralegal with just a law degree (i.e., with no prior work experience), it is important to explore the responsibilities involved in this role. Whether a paralegal role can be held with a law degree and no relevant work experience depends on the kind of paralegal role, the company, and the jurisdiction you are working in.

There are many areas of the law that a paralegal can specialise in, but for the purposes of this article, we will be looking at the role of a commercial paralegal.

An entry-level commercial paralegal role will generally involve:

- Preparing and drafting legal documents

- Conducting legal research

- Attending meetings and taking minutes

- Providing general administrative support

Understanding the kind of responsibilities involved in this role allows us to consider whether a law degree is sufficient, or if previous work experience is needed.

So, the key questions remain: can an individual with only a law degree do this role? Or, do you need prior legal work experience, such as an internship?

Is a degree sufficient for the role of a paralegal?

Paralegal work requires skills in: communication, research, organisation, time management, interpersonal, problem-solving, professionalism, and administration. This list is non-exhaustive, however from first glance, it seems that such skills can be gained from a law degree (or non-law degree), where university and extra-curricular commitments incorporate these competencies.

However, if the key to working effectively as a commercial paralegal is having commercial awareness and a strong practical knowledge of the law, does a law degree sufficiently cover this?

I would suggest not, as such practical skills are learnt “on the job” and developed from working closely with lawyers and other skilled professionals, rather than in a classroom setting. Such experience seems only attainable from “real-life” legal work experience of at least six months in the legal sector.

Taking my route to becoming a paralegal as an example: I did a non-law degree, volunteered at Citizens Advice during my final year of university, completed a legal internship, and only after this started my role as a paralegal.

My journey to becoming a paralegal is seemingly non-traditional as I do not have a law conversion degree (e.g., in the PGDL) and did a non-law degree at university, so the basis of my legal knowledge is drawn from extensive work experience and studying in my own time. Therefore, perhaps my work experience is testament to it being possible to become a paralegal with no formal legal qualifications.

Despite this, from my experience, if I had started as a paralegal straight after graduating from university, I would have struggled. I would have had little legal knowledge for a start, but more importantly would have had no experience working in a corporate environment and seeing the law applied in “real life”.

The key takeaways

Perhaps the crux of answering this article’s question is asking what is needed in order to perform well in such a competitive environment. The answer to this is multifaceted as there is no one “correct” way of becoming a paralegal and there are no official qualifications needed. In fact, you do not technically need a degree, and there are plenty of other avenues (apprenticeships) that make this role accessible for individuals who have not attended university.

What legal work experience provides is a demonstrable understanding of how the law is pragmatically and practically applied in a working environment. Prior work experience will also develop commercial awareness and provide an insight into working with different colleagues and clients.

The ever-changing nature of paralegal work and the adaptability required to positively respond to these changes is difficult to fully grasp and understand without work experience. However, as we have explored, there is no defined route to becoming a paralegal and not all employers look for work experience as a prerequisite.

If you do not have legal work experience, then there are many other routes into a paralegal career and a law degree (and non-law degree) can be sufficient in isolation. Whether you can become a paralegal with only a degree depends on the role, the company, and if you can demonstrate you can undertake the roles and responsibilities a paralegal carries out.

Paralegal Work