By Amanda Hamilton, NALP

Are you ready for a Career change? Are you thinking about your options? If you are interested in the law you might be worried about the time it takes to qualify and the costs involved, particularly if you have a family to support. However, there are different ways to approach starting a new career in the legal sector.

And Training to become a Paralegal could be the way to go.

The cost of training to be a solicitor or barrister

It costs around £27,000 to study for a law degree (full-time over three years). You will then need an extra £15k to undertake the one year professional course (either the Legal Practice Course (LPC) for solicitors or Bar professional Training Course (BPTC) for barristers).

So, it will cost approximately £42k and you’ll be studying full time for four years.

And even then, you are still not qualified. You still have to find a two year training contract with a solicitor or firm, or to be a barrister, to find a pupillage of one year with a senior barrister before you can qualify and practise.

For many parents this is way beyond their financial means and time capabilities.

Paralegal training

So, what is the alternative if you are looking for a change and know you’d enjoy working in the law?

The good news is that you can now enter the legal sector as a Paralegal. Fully recognized paralegal qualifications are available online. They start at around £350 for a taster, and can take you all the way through to Postgraduate.

How long will training take to complete?

This will vary according to how quickly an individual can assimilate information. If you have not studied since school, then the NALP Level 3 Award is an ideal taster to find out if the subject of studying Law is your thing. It is two units of study, one mandatory and one optional (out of a choice of eight legal subject areas) and should take no longer than four months to complete (although there is an overall period of one year to do so).

If, having completed this you decide that you wish to continue, there is a progressive route to a Level 3 Certificate and then a Diploma and then even further to a Level 4 Diploma.

The beauty of going down this route, is that you can dip your feet in the water without losing too much time or money.

If you have teenagers who are about to leave school and who have a clear idea that they wish to study law, don’t be put off if university fees seem unaffordable; there is a qualification, that for just a twentieth of the cost of a university degree, will on successful completion, give you a full Paralegal Qualification.

Likewise, for those who are about to graduate with a law degree and are hesitant about booking a place on the professional course (either for solicitors or barristers) because of cost or career progression looking bleak, then opting for a Paralegal qualification could be the answer.

Working as a Paralegal

All in all, entering the legal sector has never been easier – and Paralegals can do almost the same work as a solicitor. There are just a few activities that Paralegals cannot undertake. These are known as ‘Reserved Activities’ and they include: the automatic right to represent a client in court; litigation; conveyancing; signing a grant of probate.

There are plenty of opportunities to work as a Paralegal in a varied number of employer settings. In fact, there is a broader spectrum of jobs available than if you were a solicitor. You can work for a solicitor within their practice, or for a local authority, or a small or larger corporate company. You can even set up your business provided you hold a NALP Licence to Practise and have professional indemnity insurance (PII).

If you are looking for a new career with plenty of variety and flexibility, training as a Paralegal is a great option.  And since the withdrawal of Legal Aid, Paralegals are increasingly in demand– so there has never been a better time to choose this career path.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Hamilton is Chief Executive of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals(NALP), a non-profit membership body and the only paralegal body that is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual (the regulator of qualifications in England). Through its Centres around the country, accredited and recognised professional paralegal qualifications are offered for those looking for a career as a paralegal professional.

Web: http://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk

Twitter: @NALP_UK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalAssocationsofLicensedParalegals/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-association-of-licensed-paralegals/