Clyde and Co’s new paralegal academy offers alternative route towards SQE qualification

Reading time: two minutes

Top 10 City law firm Clyde & Co LLP opened applications to the first cohort of its new paralegal academy recruits to support the continued growth of the firm’s casualty business.

Applicants don’t need to have legal experience; they just need a UK university degree graded 2:2 or higher. The programme aims to attract a diverse range of applicants to bring new ideas and points of view to the firm.

After a year at the academy, successful candidates will be able to apply for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) pathway and work towards becoming qualified solicitors.

Richard Stewart, chief operating officer of Clyde & Co’s casualty practice, said: “Our paralegal academy offers a great opportunity to graduates interested in a legal career. When they join, they’ll gain access to a range of initiatives and programmes that will develop the technical skills they need to become fully-fledged paralegals.”

He added: “They’ll also have the chance to work in the newest areas of the legal profession, and learn about data and artificial intelligence [AI].” The mention of AI is a notable addition, as law firms across the UK start to adopt AI into their everyday working practices.

The move comes as part of an expansion of Clyde & Co’s casualty practice, currently the largest in the UK. It focuses primarily on insurance claims and disputes, such as:

• property damage;
• personal injury claims;
• motor accidents; and
• detecting insurance fraud.

The paralegal scheme will run at the same time as Clyde & Co’s existing training contract, which has a large cohort of around 45 trainees each year.