Turning a job into a career; an occupation into a profession

One of the main advantages of Institute membership is that you automatically join the Route to Qualification.

This means that your legal practice experience counts towards a career path that can lead to Qualified Paralegal status.

Have a Career, Not a Job

• Paralegals are on their way to becoming a recognised profession, but are not there yet - which is why the Route to Qualification is so important.

Read why the Route to Qualification is important to development

of the paralegal profession by clicking here

• Many paralegal jobs still have no career prospects, which is why you need to be on the Route to Qualification - because then no paralegal jobs are dead-end: they will all move you towards national recognition.

• Some training providers offer qualifications and titles. Many of these are not well recognised, and none of them are the same as actually following a recognised career route - the Route to Qualification. Please click here to open a .PDF document that explains why a paralegal qualification is not a replacement for being on a proper recognised career path.

• Although some individual employers (like the Crown Prosecution Service) have recognised career paths for their paralegal staff, most employers do not. The only national (and nationally recognised) career path for paralegals is our Route to Qualification.

The Route

The Route to Qualification is endorsed by numerous legal stakeholders (click here for list).

There are four stages in the Route to Qualification:

To find out more about the different levels of Institute membership and how to apply, please click here.

NB: the Qualified Paralegal stage requires the completion of a mandatory course (see below).

The Four Pathways to Qualified Paralegal Status

There are four ways that you can attain Qualified Paralegal status. You must meet all the requirements of the particular pathway that you have chosen, but the order of completion is up to you:

About The Mandatory Course

The mandatory course is graduate-level, distance learning and examined. It typically takes circa 12 - 18 months to complete. It is run by The Bristol Law School at the University of the West of England. For more details visit www.paralegaldistancelearning.co.uk/uwe.

The mandatory course is essential because the whole point of the Qualified Paralegal professional designation is that it tells employers, clients and others that the paralegal in question has been formally trained and rigorously examined in the practice area in which he/she specialises.

About Approved Courses

The following courses are recognised for Pathway Two purposes:

A UK law degree (Hons)

The Central Law Training Level 3 BTEC Advanced Diploma in Paralegal Work

The Institute's BTEC Level 3 in Law & Legal Work

The University of Cambridge Certificate in Higher Education in Paralegal Practice

The ILEX Level 3 Certificates in Law and Practice

The ILEX Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice

The ILEX Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law

The Bar Vocational Course/Bar Professional Training Course

Other course providers are welcome to apply to have their course recognised for Approved Course purposes.

Organisations Endorsing the Route to Qualification

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	Route to Qualification
	Membership Services
	Paralegal Code of Conduct
	Complaints

Membership is open to everyone at the appropriate grade. Please click here for more information:

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