What do paralegals do on a daily basis?

Jul 12, 2022

Written By Thomas Cserep

Being a paralegal gives you the opportunity to work in the legal industry without being exposed to the long hours and pressure that a solicitor may face in their role. This article will explore what paralegals do on a daily basis.

What is a paralegal?

Paralegals are legal professionals whose primary role is to support the work of solicitors. Just like lawyers, they can work in a wide variety of legal settings, including law firms and in-house legal departments of companies.

There are no specific requirements to becoming a paralegal, but usually you have to have completed a degree and demonstrate an interest in law, in addition to having accumulated around six months of work experience in the legal industry.

A lot of paralegals use their role as a stepping stone to qualifying as a solicitor. They may be in possession of or working towards a law conversion course such as the Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) or gaining qualifying work experience before taking the SQE exams.

Being a paralegal is a great way to boost your CV and gain work experience, which will allow you to qualify as a solicitor. As they gain more experience over time, paralegals are assigned responsibilities that are usually given to solicitors.

Nonetheless, their work still needs to be supervised by a qualified legal professional. Experienced paralegals, including those in senior paralegal positions at top firms, may carry out tasks that trainee and newly qualified solicitors do.

But what do paralegals do on a daily basis? Let’s have a look at the kind of responsibilities that they are entrusted with.

The role of a paralegal

Unlike solicitors, who notoriously work long hours, paralegals usually have a typical 9-to-5 schedule. Their role within the workplace depends on the kind of legal area they work in, but there are general responsibilities that they are delegated no matter where they work.

Paralegals are often tasked with carrying out legal research on behalf of their supervising solicitor. Conducting research is a time-consuming process, which solicitors may not have time to do, especially if they are working on multiple cases at the same time. Paralegals will look into past cases that are similar to the one that they are working on and consider their outcomes, in addition to verifying the information that they are working with.

Subsequently, they summarise their findings in a written report that they will hand over to the solicitor working on the case. A summary report allows higher-ups to have succinct information about the case that is easily accessible.

As a paralegal, you cannot avoid the administrative tasks that come with your role. From imputing data and organising files to answering phone calls and managing schedules, paralegals act as the secretaries for the solicitors they work for. You will liaise between the legal professionals that are assigned to a particular case and help set up meetings between them. In your position you will be able to closely follow the day-to-day life of lawyers, which can help you decide whether you want to qualify as a solicitor yourself or not.

When solicitors are conducting client interviews, it is usually the paralegals who take notes in those meetings. While initial interviews are held by the solicitors that are heading the case, paralegals may get in contact with clients to find out more or follow up on information that could potentially help solve the matter.

As you can see, paralegals are an integral part of a law firm, playing a key role in supporting the work of solicitors. It is a very attractive career pathway if you want a career in the legal industry, but not necessarily the long hours and pressure that come with working as a solicitor.

Paralegal Work