Unlock Your Legal Potential: 5 Reasons Why Starting as a Paralegal Can Fast-Track Your Success as a Solicitor

Jan 15, 2024

Written By Paddy Carey

Qualifying as a solicitor might seem like a herculean feat; the low success rates for training contract applications make the process lengthy and often unrewarding. However, what if there was a way to improve your application profile and also make you a better solicitor upon qualification? Paralegal work is a great way to stand out from the crowd, learn legal skills, and even (potentially) qualify as a solicitor.

Skill development

Foundational legal skills

Paralegals are skilled support staff who work directly alongside trainees, newly qualified solicitors, associates, and partners. Paralegal work provides hands-on experience, learning foundational legal skills such as legal research, drafting, and caseload management.

Importantly, these skills and experiences will often translate over to the day-to-day lawyering of a solicitor. Since many firms rely on paralegals for fee-earning work, there may be little difference in terms of work and skills between an experienced paralegal and a junior associate.

If you’re lucky, you might even work on some high-profile cases early on in your legal career, fast-tracking your reputation as a reliable and capable legal mind. This can lead to a goldmine of legal experience to draw upon when answering application questions.

Client interaction and communication

Given the highly competitive nature of the legal industry, good knowledge of the law is viewed favourably by firms. They are instead looking for lawyers with strong interpersonal skills and commercial awareness to attract and retain clients.

Working as a paralegal is an excellent opportunity to develop these crucial communication and commercial skills, whether through direct client interactions, shadowing meetings or just prolonged exposure to the industry.

Exposure to Legal Specialisations

Since paralegal work can be incredibly varied, you’ll likely have the opportunity to explore many areas of the legal industry. Paralegals often rotate between practice areas, learning new skills and knowledge in each.

Significantly, exposure to different legal specialisations will allow you to make informed decisions about your future career path. You’ll better understand your strengths and preferences and therefore be able to select the roles which appeal most. Moreover, interviewers and future colleagues will feel reassured that you know what you’re doing.

Networking opportunities

A robust professional network can provide you with insider knowledge on legal developments, opportunities to find a mentor, and inspire you with new ways of working in this competitive and exciting field.

But trawling LinkedIn to find a benevolent associate willing to impart a morsel of their career wisdom can be a gruelling process. So, where better to develop a network of veteran legal professionals than by working directly under their tutelage!

Crucially, working as a paralegal can give you a foot in the door and help you secure a training contract at the firm. While the recruitment process at firms is normally the same for external and internal candidates, the first-hand experience gained at the firm and glowing reports from colleagues will likely bolster your application.

Opportunities for proactive learning

Taking on additional responsibilities

Most firms look for candidates willing to challenge themselves since this demonstrates a commitment to growth and proactivity. Paralegal work can often provide chances to assume additional responsibilities and challenges, allowing you to tick this interview box and develop your skill set.

For example, you can approach colleagues and superiors to see if they need help with their workload. You could also take on extra cases yourself or volunteer more widely around the firm.

Showcasing leadership potential

Good solicitors are also good leaders. While many unfortunately see paralegals as inferior to the solicitors they work alongside, the reality is not so black and white. An experienced paralegal may well know a lot more about the law than a trainee or junior associate. So, don’t hesitate to take the lead! Even something as simple as delegating team responsibilities within a project or mentoring a trainee on a case is an important display of leadership.

A Smooth transition to becoming a solicitor

Passing the SQE exams

With a 53% and 79% pass-rate respectively, the SQE1 & 2 exams are not a simple matter of cramming the night before and hoping for the best. They require prolonged, diligent study, and even then, it may not be enough. Fortunately, paralegal work perfectly aligns with the practical focus of the SQE exams.

At their core, SQE exams measure your suitability as a solicitor. SQE1 tests your “functioning legal knowledge,” testing your application of law in client-based scenarios. SQE 2 involves a series of practical tests, evaluating your abilities at tasks like oral advocacy and legal writing and drafting.

These are skills that you will develop as a paralegal, and so will have a bank of experience to inform your exam answers and succeed.

Qualifying work experience

As mentioned, there is significant overlap between the responsibilities of an associate and an experienced paralegal. In fact, the roles can be so similar that it’s possible to qualify as a solicitor by gaining relevant experience as a paralegal through the ‘equivalent means’ route.

To qualify as a solicitor, you need two years of “qualifying work experience” (QWE). Paralegal roles offer the chance to develop the competencies required for your two years’ QWE. As a result, you need never worry about the low odds of landing a training contract.

Check out AllAboutLaw’s article discussing paralegal work and QWE here.

Empowering your solicitor journey

Paralegaling offers not only the chance to hone legal skills and gain valuable legal exposure but also the opportunity to build a robust professional network, foster personal development, and pave the way for potential qualification as a solicitor. So, why not embrace the paralegal journey to fast-track your success in becoming a stellar solicitor!

Paralegal Work