Institute of Paralegals
Setting Standards - Promoting Professionalism
Legal Assistants
On this page:
1. General information
2. Number of levels
3. Content
4. Linked LPQ legal qualifications
5. The Standards working party
6. Wide applicability
7. Solicitors Regulation Authority compliant
8. Downloading your copy
9. Subscribe to updates
10. For more information
The Institute's Competency Standards for Legal Assistants are designed for clerical support staff who are not fee-earners, legal secretaries or managers.
1. General Information
For general information on Competency Standards: their purpose, how they are formatted, how to use them and download them for free, copyright issues, etc, please click here.
2. Number of Levels
The Competency Standards for Legal Assistants are set at just one level.
3. Content
The Competency Standards for Legal Assistants cover:
Application of Legal Knowledge
Business Awareness
Client Relations
Communication
Equipment Use
IT Skills
Practical Research
Professional Conduct
Self Awareness and Development
Working with Others
Workload Management
Writing Skills
4. Linked LPQ Legal Qualifications
For just GBP£195+ VAT you can potentially obtain a linked legal qualification: the LPQ Certificate in Legal Assistant Practice. For more information please click here.
5. The Standards Working Party
The Competency Standards for Legal Assistants have been created by the Institute with kind assistance from members of the Standards Working Party.
6. Wide Applicability
The Competency Standards for Legal Assistants are designed to be used by a wide variety of employers. They work for different types of employer (in-house, law firm etc.) different size of employer (sole practitioner to magic circle firm) and for different practice areas (litigation, IP, commercial, etc.).
7. Solicitors Regulation Authority Compliant
These Competency Standards have been vetted by the SRA for professional conduct compliance purposes.
8. Downloading your Copy
All the following documents are in .PDF format. You can choose another format for free by downloading them and then converting them online for free at www.zamzar.com or similar.
Competency Standards for Legal Assistants
9. Subscribe to Updates
Although you can download copies for free here in .PDF format you should consider taking out an annual subscription to the series relevant to you. Subscriptions cost GBP £70 + VAT per year, per series of standards.
The advantages of subscribing are that you:
- Automatically receive all updates, amendments, corrections and notices concerning that series and Competency Standards in general
- Receive copies altered to let you easily mark Competency Standards as having been met, and which also allow for a verifier to initial his/her confirmation
- Receive copies in Word 97-2003 format for easy editing/cutting and pasting
- Have the opportunity to speak with us about implementation of the Competency Standards
10. For More Information
We will be delighted to answer your questions. Please contact us via our contact page