Articles From the Team

Calling all commercial paralegals

Many of my colleagues have blogged about the increase in the number of opportunities arising for lawyers to work in-house. It’s a fact – in-house teams are growing BUT it’s not only qualified lawyers that are being recruited, we are witnessing an increase in the number of paralegals joining in-house teams.

Many LPC graduates work in private practice as paralegals until they find a training contract. Traditionally, private practice roles for paralegals have arisen in the areas of PI, litigation and property. By sharp contrast, the number of paralegals working in-house has been very low.

Over the past 6 months, particularly in the North West, we have seen a spike in the number of opportunities arising for paralegals to join growing in-house legal functions. This is great news for paralegals, especially those looking for an alternative career path to private practice. However, clients that have been recruiting have found it incredibly difficult to find paralegals with the necessary commercial skill set.

If you are a paralegal that has gained some experience of the reviewing, drafting or negotiation of commercial contracts we would love to hear from you. A paralegal role in-house offers a real opportunity to develop your legal skills in a commercial environment and is perhaps a career path many have not previously considered.