The last 30 years has seen significant growth in the number of paralegals working in the legal sector, with as many as 250,000 paralegals now working in the UK. This group of legal professionals has become vital to the provision of legal services across a wide range of specialisms and sectors and for many law firms a strong paralegal team is essential to remaining competitive.
Paralegals are not a homogenous group. They can practice with little or no formal professional education or training but some have advanced educational level qualifications in the law. Some are hugely experienced, perhaps running their own caseloads or managing large teams of paralegals. There will be those who see the role as a stepping stone to becoming a qualified lawyer while, increasingly, others are career paralegals.
Despite this burgeoning sector, until now there has been no way of differentiating between these groups or discerning the professional standing of an individual paralegal, nor has there been a formally recognised progressive career framework available.
At CILEX we recognised a need for formal recognition of paralegals as a distinct profession with their own progressive career pathway. We know from our members that not every paralegal wants to be a fully qualified lawyer and arguably a large majority of paralegals have no such end goal.
What they do want is the kind of professional recognition that comes from association with a formal career structure and the achievement of professional status that has long been open to those in other professions such as accounting technicians.
In May this year CILEX launched CILEX Chartered Paralegal - available to professionals who have been working in a legal role for over five years and can demonstrate extensive legal knowledge and competence across key duties and behaviours. It provides career paralegals with a formal status recognising their achievements.
Designed with input from employers, the new status comes with clear standards and independent regulation, supported by a public-facing register to promote public confidence in the delivery of legal services and justify commensurate charging rates.
For employers, attracting and retaining talented paralegals isn’t always easy. There can be a high level of turnover and this is hugely costly - we estimate that taking into account recruitment fees and training costs replacing a paralegal can easily cost a business in excess of £30,000.
The ability to recognise their skills and experience and reward their contribution is an important tool in the armoury of employers who want to build a supportive environment for career paralegals that motivates them to stay and to progress.
To become an employer of choice for these professionals, set apart from the competition, offering CILEX Chartered Paralegal as a goal can help to attract talented candidates across a broad range of skillsets and backgrounds. It is a way of building a diverse team with a mix of roles and levels to help meet the needs of clients and/or the business.
It also creates greater transparency and reduced risk. With clear standards and a public register of CILEX Chartered Paralegals, employers and their clients can have confidence and clarity when it comes to the skills within their legal team, and the rates at which they are charged out at.
A career framework alongside a recognised and regulated paralegal status is long overdue in the sector. The creation of CILEX Chartered Paralegal status is an opportunity that not only benefits career paralegals who will now have access to career development and long-term career pathways, but also employers, consumers and the wider public interest. This new cadre of experienced and accountable professionals will do much for the provision of legal services, raising standards and injecting greater diversity into the sector.
CILEX is here to support employers and individuals every step of the way.
Learn how this benefits your organisation:
👉 Chartered Paralegal for Employers
Craig Hamer is CEO of CILEX