Paralegals

Paralegals play an increasingly important role in many law firms and over the coming years the value of that role is likely to increase and paralegals will find that they need to take on ever greater responsibility. However, with that increased responsibility comes increased exposure to regulation.

The term “paralegal” covers a wide range of legal staff with varying skill sets and many of those staff become integrally involved in client work. The result of this is that they need increasingly to be aware of the duties and regulations to which they are subject. For example, under the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Code of Conduct 2011, all staff employed within a solicitors practice are subject to those conduct rules and can find themselves answering allegations of unprofessional conduct or find themselves in breach of the provisions of the rules.

Although there is as yet no legally accepted standard for paralegals, nevertheless an increasing number are joining organisations such as the the Institute of Paralegals and the National Association of Licensed Paralegals. As a result, many are signing up to competency standards such as those promoted by the Institute of Paralegals or the licensing requirements promoted by the National Association of Licensed Paralegals.

Such is the value which is placed upon these standards that, for example, the Institute of Paralegals has the support of, amongst others, The Law Society of England & Wales, the Bar Council, Citizens Advice and the Crown Prosecution Service, all of whom recognised the need for the developing paralegal profession to have a representative body.

To help to support you as a paralegal the Lawyers Defence Group will be working more closely with representative bodies such as the Institute of Paralegals to ensure that we are able to bring to you the kind of advice and support which you may require in your day to day work.

Whether you are working in private practice or in other commercial organisations or government or other bodies we can assist you with a wide variety of issues including:

  • your liabilities under the codes of conduct of other regulators,
  • practice management and accountancy issues,
  • employment problems,
  • matters relating to finance.

If you are, or are thinking about becoming, a paralegal and you are not aware of the wide range of services provided by organisations such as the Institute of Paralegals then you can do so by going to their web site at www.theiop.org where you will find, amongst other things, guidance on:

You will also find helpful links on this web site to other information provided by organisations such as the Law Society, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Ombudsmanas well as news items, current information and regulatory and conduct related case reports. Information which you might find useful as a paralegal includes:

To find the information you require, use the drop down menus above or if there is a particular topic with which you require help, use the search box to the right of this page.

If there are specific issues which concern you, then please contact the Lawyers Defence Group and we will arrange for you to be put in touch with a suitably qualified person who can assist you. You can contact the Lawyers Defence Group:

  • by telephone during office hours – 0333 888 4070
  • out of hours in an emergency – for example if a partner has been arrested or you believe that your firm might be about to be intervened in – on our emergency phone number 07952 861 868
  • by email on help [Email address: help #AT# lawyersdefencegroup.org.uk - replace #AT# with @ ]
  • if you are a registered user of the web site, by completing and submitting the free, no obligation, call-back form to the right of this text following which someone from the Lawyers Defence Group will get back to you at a time which is convenient to you, or
  • by writing to us at Lawyers Defence Group, Richard Nelson LLP, Priory Court, 1 Derby Road, Nottingham, NG9 2TA