UK Paralegal Courses
Legal assistants in the UK are an unregulated body of professionals, but with the advent of various companies trying to introduce separate “standards” it is becoming a more popular career of choice. The role of the paralegal is to provide more profitable operating costs to legal services under the supervision of attorneys or attorneys. You do not need a title.
The Lawyers Act of 1974 reserves certain legal activities for attorneys, and therefore paralegals can only perform many of these activities under the supervision of attorneys or attorneys.
Some unregulated legal activities, such as appearing in court, county court small claims agents, trademarks, and patents, can be performed by paralegals, without supervision.
Yes, in the event that the UK government recognizes the Profession of Paralegals as a third independent legal profession and grants them powers to work in those areas reserved for Lawyers, Paralegals will continue to work under supervision, except as mentioned, in those unregulated areas.
There are 2 ways to become Paralegals:
1. Have relevant legal work experience
2. Complete an appropriate course.
Having your legal work experience recognized is not a route open to everyone. Working within a legal environment requires knowledge of legal procedures and lawyers typically do not have the time or inclination to train someone on the job; this environment is too busy. They prefer to hire someone who has already obtained legal knowledge.
Selecting an appropriate course is now becoming a minefield. How can you evaluate the most effective type of course to study? As a general rule, courses that cover procedural law and provide a hands-on approach to proceedings, form filling, investigation, interviews, and that practical knowledge are what attorneys value the most.
In the UK, a law degree in itself does not prepare you for the role of paralegal. Unless your goal is to qualify as a lawyer or attorney, this is not necessary. Having a law degree will require an additional legal qualification, such as completing a Procedural Law Course or the Law Society Legal Practice Course.
Currently, there are several universities that offer paralegal qualifications in addition to private and independent colleges and there should be a course for everyone. All aspects of law studies can be done, for example. Immigration, Probate, Commercial Law, Corporate Law, Transmissions, Litigation, Principles of English Law, Maritime Law, Human Rights, International and European Law and the list goes on.
There are also various ‘levels’ of qualifications offered by different institutions and taking a course that provides an Introduction or Overview is simply to test whether this is a career for you and should not be seen as an acquisition of the required level of competence.
Obtaining a legal degree can be done remotely, online or in person with many institutions.