City firms are stepping up their recruitment of paralegals, research revealed this week, as the National Association of Paralegals (NAP) announced plans to license members by early next year.

A survey of more than 50 City firms conducted by legal recruitment consultants Taylor Root found that some 89% of firms were planning to recruit more paralegals in the coming year.


Almost one-third of firms said they planned to take on between five and ten paralegals, while 10% planned to hire more than ten, and just fewer than half said they were looking to recruit up to five non-qualified fee-earning staff.


City: firms eye 'valuable assets'

While top paralegals can command a salary as high as £40,000 according to the survey, the average pay for a paralegal with less than a year's experience was £19,100, rising to an average of £30,250 for those with four years' experience or more.

NAP chairman John Tracey-


Hibbert said: 'There has been a perception that paralegals are law graduates who can't get a training contract, who can be taken on as cheap office administration material. Thankfully, that perception is dying out and most firms have found that having a career paralegal is a valuable asset.'


Mr Tracey-Hibbert said that an accreditation to be introduced by the NAP in January would enable paralegals fulfilling certain criteria to apply to the association for a licence. Licences will only be granted to those with a legal qualification such as a law degree, the NAP's own qualification, or the Institute of Legal Executives' part I and II exams. Licensed paralegals will also need two years' experience of non-administrative work comprising at least 75% fee-earning work. They will be subject to the NAP's code of conduct and disciplinary procedures.


Mr Tracey-Hibbert said: 'At the moment there is no recognisable description of a paralegal, but paralegalism is a profession in itself. There are more than 150,000 paralegals doing at least 50% fee-earning work in the UK.'