Paralegals, or legal assistants, assist lawyers with legal work
They have a growing number of responsibilities, but cannot represent clients in court, give legal advice, or set legal fees
The following professions also have the right to carry out legal work in the UK
There is no requirement for Legal Executives to have a degree qualification, however it can help. A Law degree or a law conversion course is especially useful as it grants exemptions to some parts of the Institute of Legal Executives qualification
Getting legal work experience is important to improving one's employability
The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives offer a training scheme that allows you to qualify as a Lawyer
If you have a Law qualification you can qualify to be a Legal Executive for £2,400 through nine months of part-time study
Otherwise you can study for a flexible length of time while you work for a cost of £6,200
Paralegals carry out supporting work in law firms, but are not lawyers
Training can be obtained from paralegal organisations
According to English and Welsh Law, the following professions are allowed to carry out legal work
| Profession | Rights of audience | Conduct of litigation | Reserved instruments | Probate activities | Notarial activities | Administration of oaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solicitor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Barrister | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Notary | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Legal Executives |
Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Licensed Conveyancers | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Patent Attorneys | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Trade Mark Attorneys | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Law Costs Draftsmen | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Yes |
