Why might a career as a paralegal suit you?

Paralegals are an essential part of any law firm. In recent years, some commentators have suggested that the rise of technology (artificial intelligence (AI) in particular) could lead to the end of the paralegal profession as we know it but we are a long way off from robots completely replacing paralegal staff. 

While AI can assist paralegals with some of the more administrative tasks, such as document review, there are still a number of extremely important roles they fulfil that AI cannot replace. To use Pinsent Masons as an example, the firm is currently continuing to invest in its managed services capabilities, with the Vario business housing between 60 to 80 paralegals across its offices in the UK.

Paralegals continue to be a vital part of all major law firms, and this brings clear opportunities for those just starting out in their legal career. 

Why now?

First, why is now a particularly good time to become a paralegal in the UK? 

First and foremost, in a market that is currently changing and a world in which uncertainty is still at a high, becoming a paralegal is a good way to dip your toes in the legal waters without committing fully. It can be a great way to identify whether a career in law is suitable before applying to study. This can be attractive to anybody worrying about job market stability – particularly those who want certainty from the beginning about the career choice they are making.

Given a law degree is not technically needed to become a paralegal (although knowledge of laws and legal systems tends to be desirable), this can allow an individual to do real legal work before or during the undertaking of a law degree. It can also allow those studying for a law degree at the same time as working as a paralegal (eg, through part-time education) to build up their legal experience before completing legal training, rather than having to wait until qualification. By the time they graduate, they’ll already have started to build an impressive CV.

Succeeding as a paralegal

As with most careers, there is no one magic skill that will automatically make somebody a great paralegal. However, there are several issues that you will see crop up repeatedly. A paralegal who can deal with these issues efficiently will stand head and shoulders above the competition.

Being tech savvy

Technology is becoming an important factor in the legal world and is playing a more central role in strategy than ever before. Nearly all law firms these days understand how critical it is to have technological solutions on par with their competitors. 

For paralegals, this means they are likely to encounter rapidly evolving legal technology over the course of their career; those who understand these technologies will add significant value.

People skills

The history of the paralegal profession is such that, in many, it evokes images of a dozen employees working together sifting through thousands of pages of legal text for a particular case or clause… But make no mistake, the best paralegals also excel in their communication and interpersonal skills. Paralegals not only need to maintain clear, professional lines of communication with lawyers (who rely on them the most) but are also often responsible for promptly responding to client requests and answering emails/telephones. Particularly given that technology is now freeing up paralegals to spend less time doing the administrative tasks (eg, document review), this facetime with clients is only set to become more frequent. More emphasis will undoubtedly be placed on the ‘human element’ that a paralegal can bring to a firm, rather than just their ability to do the legal legwork.

Conclusion

The legal profession introducing more technology shouldn’t put people off a career as a paralegal. In the coming years, the UK’s top firms will value paralegals who can bring a blend of technical knowledge, technological awareness, and interpersonal skills as much, if not more, than they ever did. 

I would encourage anybody still considering a career as a paralegal – for whatever reason – to think hard about the new, modern skills they can bring to that role. In an interview situation, a candidate who shows they have really given this some thought is bound to stand out from the competition. 

Matthew Kay is the managing director of Vario at Pinsent Masons.