Institute of Paralegals
Setting Standards - Promoting Professionalism
Member Benefits
Welcome to the Institute. This page contains a brief summation of the benefits of membership:
1. Access to a nationally recognised career path
2. Careers advice
3. Use our Competency Standards for job applications
4. Discounts on numerous goods and services
5. Network and get support from other paralegals
6. Help with joining a government committee
7. Keeping you up-to-date with the law
8. Keeping you up-to-date with the paralegal world
9. Membership of the New York City Paralegal Association
10. Prestigious club membership
11. Access to Pro bono work and youth careers advice opportunities
12. Giving you national professional recognition
13. Access to regulatory advice
14. Advice if you want to run your own business
15. Useful precedents for paralegal law firms
16. Lobbying of government upon your behalf
17. Support for alcohol, stress, drug and other work-related problems
18. Advice on the best training, courses and qualifications available
19. Confirmed right to countersign passports
20. Reciprocal rights to join other legal organisations
21. Your name in the media
22. Exclusive job vacancies
1. Access to a Nationally Recognised Career Path
As a member of the Institute, you are automatically on the nationally recognised 'Route to Qualification' career path. It covers four stages, each linked to an Institute membership grade: Affiliate Member, Registered Paralegal, Certified Paralegal and Qualified Paralegal.
We offer members careers advice by e-mail (office @ theiop.org – note breaks in link) and telephone (020 7587 3917)
Download our Practice Note full of insider tips on joining the profession: click here
See our general advice regarding careers: click here
Consider gaining experience by doing legal pro bono (i.e. voluntary) work: click here
See what skills and knowledge the legal profession expects of you at different stages of your career: click here
Showcase your relevant skills when applying for work by marking up a set of our free Competency Standards and sending them with your job applications: click here
3. Use our Competency Standards for Job Applications
See what skills and knowledge the legal profession expects of you at different stages of your career: click here
Use our Competency Standards to identify the skills and knowledge you need to highlight in your CV
Legal secretaries identify what skills you need to transition from secretary to paralegal
Showcase your relevant skills when applying for work by marking up a set of our free Competency Standards and sending them with your job applications: click here
Get a nationally recognised legal qualification for just £195 (employed paralegals, legal assistants and legal secretaries only): click here
Paralegals see the Standards designed for you: click here
Legal Secretaries see the Standards designed for you: click here
Legal Assistants, see the Standards designed for you: click here
Conveyancing paralegals see the Standards designed for you: click here
4. Discounts on Numerous Goods and Services (Both Professional and Personal)
You will get discounts on many of the following goods and services, and if you use just the most popular ones you should save more than the cost of membership.
• Airport car parking
• Airport hotels
• Books
• Business broadband
• Business landlines
• Business mobile phones
• Business strategy advice (free)
• Careers advice (free)
• Car insurance
• Car rental
• Cash-back gift cards
• Cub membership (Royal Over-Seas League Club)
• Cottage holidays
• Dedicated financial planning helpline
• E-journal – the monthly publication ‘The Paralegal’ (free)
• Energy price comparison service
• Eye care
• Flower deliveries
• Foreign exchange
• Gourmet Society 2-for-1 dining card
• Gym membership
• Home insurance
• Hotel and short break discounts
• IT training
• Jermyn Street shirts
• Legal information services - LexisNexis
• Life insurance (term)
• Magazine subscriptions
• Mortgage services
• New Law Journal
• Office supplies
• Personal broadband
• Personal landlines
• Personal mobile phones
• Personal support helpline - LawCare (free)
• Private medical insurance
• Roadside assistance
• Sayshopping vouchers
• Short breaks
• Short breaks
• Tax returns- employees
• Tax returns & accounts- self employed
• Top theme parks & attractions
• Travel insurance
• Vehicle servicing
• Venue finding service
• Web & ecommerce design
Terms and conditions apply to all benefits. See IOP Plus website for further details. Benefits are aimed at UK residents and may not be available or suitable for those outside of the UK and some benefits are not available in Northern Ireland. IOP Plus benefits are managed and operated by Parliament Hill Limited 127 Cheapside, London. EC2V 6BT on behalf of IOP. Neither IOP nor Parliament Hill Limited are part of the same group as any provider. Any benefit referring to Insurance is subject to underwriting and the availability may be restricted by underwriting criteria. Offers and discounts are correct at the time of going to print but can change or be withdrawn.”
5. Network and Get Support from Other Paralegals
Join the UK’s first dedicated online forum for paralegals “The Paralegal Forum” on www.linkedin.com. After registering (for free) at LinkedIn, use the Forum to ask questions, seek advice, give help to fellow paralegals and to network generally. Jobs are also advertised on the Forum from time to time.
6. Help with Joining a Government Committee
Help your career fast-track! The Institute monitors government committee vacancies (paid and unpaid, full and part-time) and draws to your attention any of relevance/applicability to paralegals. Details can be found in our monthly e-journal, The Paralegal, and in the members-only section of our web-site.
7. Keeping You Up-To-Date with the Law
All members receive the IOP Newsstand service – you will get regular plain-English updates on the following practice areas (you choose which ones you want):
• Arbitration
• Asset finance
• Aviation
• Banking
• Environment
• Capital markets
• Commercial property
• Company & commercial
• Competition
• Construction
• Corporate finance/M&A
• Corporate immigration
• Corporate tax
• Derivatives
• E-commerce
• Employment & labour
• Energy & natural resources
• Franchising
• General practice
• Healthcare
• Information technology
• Insolvency & restructuring
• Insurance & reinsurance
• Intellectual property
• Leisure & tourism
• Litigation
• Media & entertainment
• Private client & offshore services
• Product liability
• Professional negligence
• Projects & procurement
• Public
• Securitization & structured finance
• Shipping & transport
• Telecommunications
• Trade & customs
• White collar crime
All members also receive ‘The Paralegal’ monthly e-journal containing essential information for paralegals, including important changes in law and practice.
8. Keeping You Up-To-Date with the Paralegal World
All members receive ‘The Paralegal’ monthly e-journal containing essential information for paralegals, including important changes in law and practice.
9. Membership of the New York City Paralegal Association
Free reciprocal membership of the NYCPA is open to all Registered, Certified and Qualified Paralegal members (but not to Affiliate Members) see http://www.nyc-pa.org/. Contact the Institute’s Membership Secretary if you wish to join the NYCPA (annie @ theiop.org)
10. Prestigious Club Membership
All Institute members are eligible to apply to join the Royal Over-Seas League club – and at discounted corporate rates. The ROL has club houses in St James’ London and Edinburgh, and gives access to some 80 prestigious clubs worldwide. See http://www.rosl.org.uk/
11. Access to Pro Bono Work and Youth Careers Advice Opportunities
The Institute recommends pro bono work (volunteer advising/case assistance) as the best way of getting relevant experience/free training. We particularly recommend Citizens Advice and Amicus: click here
12. Giving You National Professional Recognition
The paralegal profession is largely unregulated. Therefore if you want to be seen as a professional legal practitioner then you should look to upgrade to one of the higher grades of membership: Registered Paralegal; Certified Paralegal or Qualified Paralegal. Each of these professional qualifications grants you the right to use letters after your name: R.Inst.Pa or M.Inst.Pa or F.Inst.Pa. Read more by clicking here.
13. Access to Regulatory Advice
We provide regulatory advice to members about setting up and running their own paralegal law firms/businesses: click here.
14. Advice if You Want to Run Your Own Business
We provide regulatory advice to members about setting up and running their own paralegal law firms/businesses: click here.
Advertise your business for free on the Paralegal Forum, our online paralegal networking forum.
Get advice on professional indemnity insurance.
15. Useful Precedents for Paralegal Law Firms
We provide a variety of useful templates/precedents such as client engagement letters.
16. Lobbying of Government upon Your Behalf
We lobby government for better recognition of paralegals. For example we met with the UK’s second most senior judge, the Master of the Rolls, to push for greater court access for paralegals representing clients, and we persuaded the government to allow senior paralegals to be eligible to apply for junior judicial posts.
17. Support with Alcohol, Stress, Drug and Other Work-Related Problems
Institute members can make use of the Samaritans-style anonymous helpline run by LawCare (http://www.lawcare.org.uk/).
18. Advice on the Best Training, Courses and Qualifications Available
We do not offer training ourselves, but this allows us to recommend the best providers.
For recommended CPD providers: click here.
For recommended providers of longer courses: click here.
For information on Institute LPQ standards-linked qualifications: click here.
19. Confirmed Right to Countersign Passport Applications
The government's Identity and Passport Service requires passport applications and any accompanying photographs to be countersigned by someone from the list of suitable professions. Members of the Institute who have achieved Associate Paralegal (since re-titled Registered Paralegal); Certified Paralegal or Qualified Paralegal status are shown on the list.
20. Reciprocal Rights to Join Other Legal Organisations
Most legal organisations were established for solicitors and so do not always automatically welcome paralegal members. The Institute will approach organisations upon your behalf if membership is declined. The Institute has already made arrangements with:
Resolution - the old solicitors' family law association. Institute members who have Certified Paralegal or Qualified Paralegal status are also eligible to join as Family Law Assistants.
Legal Aid Practititoners' Group
The Society of Visually Impaired Lawyers
New York City Paralegal Association
We quite often get asked by the media to provide a profile of a member to help highlight the growing paralegal profession. These requests are circulated to members to see who wants their names in lights!
Employers quite often advertise positions through us first. As a member you will get to hear of such vacancies often before they are posted on jobs boards, etc.
That's it for now, but this list keeps growing!
If you want to join us then please click here.
