Paralegal roles and other non TC/VS opportunities

[Jessica Booker]

Thought I would start a thread to share job opportunities I see that might be of interest to people...

 

[Jessica Booker]

12/03/20 - LinkedIn

 

[Jaysen]

Great idea!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Another one from Katie

 

[D]

Jessica,

What are the "general" pre-requisites to be able to apply for these positions? When candidates have "secured a training contract" - Is this generally pre or post LPC?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Jessica,

What are the "general" pre-requisites to be able to apply for these positions? When candidates have "secured a training contract" - Is this generally pre or post LPC?

There aren’t any general pre requisites - it will vary from position to position, let alone firm to firm.

I have known trainees fo secure these roles both pre and post LPC though

 

[anulciak7]

Thank you Jessica! It’s a pity I haven’t seen the post earlier!

 

[TFLawyer]

Hi, great idea for a thread. Does anyone have any recommendations for recruiters to use. I know roles at the moment are quite scarce.

 

[MarathonNotaSprint]

Hi, great idea for a thread. Does anyone have any recommendations for recruiters to use. I know roles at the moment are quite scarce.

I know that LOD are seeing a high demand for paralegals right now, according to The Lawyer so perhaps look into them? They’re an agency.

Also; check out Ryder Reid too. They could be of help. And look into tech-start ups as well. I’ve heard that some are hiring

 

[Karin]

Hi, great idea for a thread. Does anyone have any recommendations for recruiters to use. I know roles at the moment are quite scarce.

When I was looking for paralegal roles in December, I used Linkedin but then found out that many of the jobs advertised were out of date. I think a good idea is to try to find some potential firms by searching what law firms are in your area and then look on their own job advertisement websites to see whether it is still available. I know a lot of firms have stopped their recruitment processes now until after lockdown, but you may have some luck!

There may still be positions in areas that are very busy right now or as another user suggested, look into tech start-ups.

I am not sure how helpful this is but if you need any help/advice on applying, drop me a message!

 

[TFLawyer]

Brilliant thanks

 

[amb98]

Recruitment through most agencies seems to be at a standstill right now

Wonder when things will pick back up

 

[Jessica Booker]

Recruitment through most agencies seems to be at a standstill right now

Wonder when things will pick back up

Firms aren’t really hiring at the moment. Not only is there issues with workflow, but trying to train up new people can be tricky when all done remotely. July/August tend to be quiet months of the year anyway, even without the current recession.

Where firms are recruiting, they are far more likely to do it directly to reduce costs and where recruitment teams have more time to self-source applicants. The exception will be temp agencies but even they are struggling at the moment as it’s not straight forward training up a temp remotely.

 

[amb98]

Firms aren’t really hiring at the moment. Not only is there issues with workflow, but trying to train up new people can be tricky when all done remotely. July/August tend to be quiet months of the year anyway, even without the current recession.

Where firms are recruiting, they are far more likely to do it directly to reduce costs and where recruitment teams have more time to self-source applicants. The exception will be temp agencies but even they are struggling at the moment as it’s not straight forward training up a temp remotely.

I see... not a good job market to enter into as a graduate!

 

[Jessica Booker]

I see... not a good job market to enter into as a graduate!

Not a good job market for anyone at the moment to be fair. I know there is some evidence to suggest that if anything graduates fair better in recessions than experienced members of staff, I suspect where they are generally cheaper sources of talent.

 

[Jessica Booker]

For anyone based in the North East, this might be of interest

https://opportunities.cliffordchance.com/jobs/paralegal-3291

 

[tylergab]

There's an opportunity to work at Liberty for 6 months for £30k-£35k for anyone interested: https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/about-us/work-with-us/

 

[33c]

@Jessica Booker Is it possible to secure a paralegal role without the LPC/previous experience? Many roles seem to have these as prerequisites.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker Is it possible to secure a paralegal role without the LPC/previous experience? Many roles seem to have these as prerequisites.

Yes - it is possible. I have seen enough paralegals for it.

My advice is to start off looking at temp roles and contract roles though - there is little point applying for permanent roles unless you want a permanent job (and won’t need time off for vac schemes), because typically those roles will require more experience or the LPC. They tend to be more open minded on interim roles. If you have any fluency in languages, then look out for paralegal roles that may specifically need them too.

I also recommend not limiting yourself to paralegal roles. There can often be great business development admin roles or other business services admin roles in areas like CSR/Pro bono teams that can sometimes be a good role to go into.

 

[Phoebe]

Yes - it is possible. I have seen enough paralegals for it.

My advice is to start off looking at temp roles and contract roles though - there is little point applying for permanent roles unless you want a permanent job (and won’t need time off for vac schemes), because typically those roles will require more experience or the LPC. They tend to be more open minded on interim roles. If you have any fluency in languages, then look out for paralegal roles that may specifically need them too.

I also recommend not limiting yourself to paralegal roles. There can often be great business development admin roles or other business services admin roles in areas like CSR/Pro bono teams that can sometimes be a good role to go into.

That's pretty much how I ended up getting my paralegal job.

I had no prior paralegal experience and I hadn't completed the LPC and I applied for a full time admin position in the conflicts/AML department of the firm - they chose someone with more experience for the permanent role but offered me a 6 week temporary contract. I then applied for a permanent paralegal position in a fee-earning team internally and got the job.