Paralegals provide administrative and substantive back-up to the lawyers.
Last Updated: October 25, 2024
Paralegals provide administrative and substantive legal back-up to lawyers (typically solicitors), with the help of legal secretaries and paralegal assistants who do all sorts of jobs such as filing and routine tasks, managing emails and post, keeping records up to date and reminding lawyers of what needs to be done and by when. Often in an IP team they will complete regular monitoring checks of patent and trade mark databases. In some firms that do not have trainee solicitors, paralegals can fulfil a lot of trainee tasks, including carrying out basic legal research and drafting correspondence and legal documents.
A paralegal carries a lot of responsibility for the smooth running of the office, especially during a trial or a big commercial project, so you need to be able to manage your time effectively, hit deadlines every time and have a focus on detail. The rest of the team will look to you to be helping them before they’ve even thought of the help they need – it is important to remain pro-active. This takes the right attitude and enthusiasm to learn.
During a trial, the IP paralegal may be responsible for looking after expert witnesses in the court room as well as organising all of the trial logistics and making sure that all members of the legal team, and the judge, have the necessary documents available.
Though paralegal experience is not necessary, this can be excellent experience before starting the traditional training contract to become a solicitor, also now sometimes referred to as a Trainee Associate Programme. With the new SQE route to qualification, if you can demonstrate the relevant competencies, two years of paralegal work can function as the “qualifying work experience” you need.
The world of IP still depends heavily on office work, so a paralegal might be in any organisation or department that deals with IP: perhaps a small or large law firm or a government department. You might work in the legal division of a larger (perhaps even multinational) company, helping them protect their IP portfolio. IP exists in all businesses; the world is truly your oyster!
Apart from 5 GCSEs (or equivalent), you may not need formal qualifications to become a paralegal assistant, but you will need to be able to show you can handle a busy and professional working environment where attention to detail is critical. You will need to be constantly on the lookout for ways to be useful and you need to be adaptable to the changing demands of each day.
Office experience is really helpful to demonstrate you have the above qualities, and any form of STEM background may help in patent specific roles.
Training is mostly done on the job (by another more experienced paralegal). As there are no regulatory requirements to meet for the role, taking professional qualifications is not always necessary (although requirements may differ depending on the organisation).
You learn the work from the ground up, giving you a truly solid understanding of the profession and how an office successfully functions. You also get to experience many different industries through the lens of IP law, whether it be in pharmaceuticals, the latest in AI and robotics or tracing new trends in fashion.
A successful paralegal must juggle many things and satisfy the various ways that different clients and lawyers like things done. They must also be able to turn their minds to complicated new technology, when helping with focused research tasks.
The websites of individual law firms are a good source of information and often list open or upcoming positions. You can also just send a tailored email with your CV to employers and ask about vacancies.
Further information and useful links can be found on the Prospects website.