The Smart Start: Why Beginning Your Legal Career as a Paralegal Puts You Ahead

Feb 07, 2024

Written By Nandini Jadeja

The advent of the SQE has opened up the qualification route for aspiring solicitors, creating new opportunities to enter the legal world and making paralegal roles even more appealing. In fact, beginning your legal career as a paralegal can put you ahead and give you a significant advantage, and this article will show you how! By understanding the advantages of the different routes to qualification, you can make an informed decision about your career in law.

Paralegal experience: a core foundation

Paralegals are essential in law firms and legal departments as they play a crucial role in supporting solicitors and legal teams. For many people, paralegal positions are an excellent entry point into the legal profession as they provide you with practical exposure to legal work and procedures. You’ll find that many solicitors or legal professionals entered the legal profession as paralegals, using their position as a foundational step to pursue alternative careers in law.

Practical skills development

Paralegal work is wide ranging, including responsibilities like conducting legal research, drafting legal documents (i.e contracts or briefs) and managing case files. Skills that are important for these tasks are attention to detail, accuracy and time management.

More broadly, paralegal work hones critical skills necessary for success in the legal profession, such as analytical thinking, problem solving and effective communication. For example, a paralegal may be required to research a new piece of legislation or regulation and think about how it might impact the firm’s clients.

Insights into the legal world

Paralegal roles also offer invaluable insights into the workings of the legal profession, providing individuals with the opportunity to observe and participate in various aspects of the legal process, including exposure to different practice areas.

A key perk of being a paralegal over a trainee solicitor is that a paralegal is not limited in their exposure to different departments at a firm, whereas most training contracts have a fixed structure. Thus, paralegals will have a breadth of knowledge that will make them stand out from those with more limited practical experience.

Insights also can be gained from those around you, and there is significant value in working closely with legal professionals and solicitors. This will enable you to learn from their expertise and understand client interactions and expectations better. Being able to master client interactions and expectations is a crucial skill, and practising it during your time as a paralegal will ensure you are ahead of the game in a skill that you will need throughout your legal career.

Networking opportunities abound

The legal industry is bursting with networking opportunities, and paralegals should ensure they take full advantage of this. This might include attending networking events, conferences and professional associations as well as building relationships with solicitors, barristers and other legal professionals. This will enhance your career and allow you to develop both personally and professionally. Some tips for effective networking include maintaining a strong online presence (taking advantage of platforms like LinkedIn), seeking mentorship opportunities and actively participating in industry discussions and events.

Opportunities for career advancement

The SQE has opened up the route for solicitor qualification, meaning that a training contract is no longer the only way to reach qualification. Paralegal experience can be signed off as what is known as ‘Qualifying Work Experience,’ serving as a stepping stone if you wish to qualify as a solicitor. Unlike more traditional routes to qualification, paralegal experience also allows you to leave your options open, for example should you wish to specialise in a particular area of law.

Challenges a paralegal might face

Having said all of this, becoming a paralegal does not come without its own difficulties. Having to navigate the competitive job market while balancing work and study commitments and seeking opportunities for career progression is a difficult endeavour – but luckily there are strategies to help!

You can navigate these challenges by seeking mentorship, networking widely, ensuring you are continuously learning through self-reflection and professional development opportunities and ultimately staying resilient in the face of setbacks. Knowing some tried and tested strategies that help you stay motivated or maintain a work-life balance is always helpful as well.

Conclusion

The paralegal position is an increasingly advantageous way of beginning a legal career. Gaining practical experience and building a strong foundation as a paralegal gives you the experience, time and space to pursue further career aspirations in the legal profession. Starting as a paralegal can provide you with invaluable skills, insights and networking opportunities, which ensure you are ahead of the game whichever position you decide to pursue in the legal world.

Paralegal Work