Paralegals work in a wide variety of areas, from law firms to government offices, from unions to the military, construction companies, accounting and engineering firms. In fact, anywhere that law-related work is done, paralegals will almost certainly be employed. . Paralegals working in the private sector are commonly employed by law firms and corporations. At large commercial law firms, a paralegal will help with legal transactions or litigation cases, where they are responsible for organizing, copying, and tracking legal documents. Paralegals may be involved in specialized areas of the law, such as transfers, probate, matrimonial law, or family law. A paralegal working in commerce may work in a variety of fields, such as in the financial sector, banks, building societies, or insurance companies. In the public sector, paralegals are employed by nonprofit public law firms, government departments, local authorities, health care authorities, and the police or social services. Paralegal duties will vary depending on where they work. For example, in the public sector, paralegals are more likely to be called upon to give advice to the public or work with clients in some way.

No matter where a paralegal works, there are several qualities and skills that a good paralegal will have. A paralegal must have excellent language, organizational and time management skills, with the ability to simultaneously work on a variety of tasks. They must be able to work with precision and attention, be able to work independently, and have the ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines. Good technical knowledge is also a must, as the use of computers, software packages, and databases has become essential for the storage and organization of legal documents. Paralegals may be required to organize information in databases, use software to track time billed to clients, or use software packages to calculate financial information. A good paralegal will also be courteous, professional and discreet, and will have high ethical standards.

At the moment, the legal assistant profession is not regulated in the UK, and there is no commonly accepted or recognized way to become a paralegal. Strictly speaking, you don’t need any formal qualifications, but of course they help, especially if you don’t have a lot of work experience. Many young law graduates work as paralegals for a while, to gain some experience, in the hope of being offered a training contract. Alternatively, some paralegals working in specific legal fields have other specialized education; For example, a paralegal working in commerce may have been educated as an accountant or have previously worked in tax preparation before becoming a paralegal.