ICL Commercial Law is a paralegal law firm and not a firm of solicitors.
Quite often we are asked what is a paralegal? A paralegal is someone who does legal work even though they have not qualified as a solicitor or barrister. Legal work means advising and assisting with the law in the same way that a solicitor advises and assists clients. There is a growing trend that work completed within solicitor’s firms is completed by paralegals.
Is there a professional body for paralegals? The Institute of Paralegals is the oldest incorporated professional body for paralegal in the UK. All ICL Commercial Law fee earners are members of the Institute of Paralegals.
What are paralegals not allowed to do? There are certain types of work/activities that paralegals are prohibited from doing, these are known as “reserved activities”. Reserved activity work used to be the monopoly of solicitors and/or barristers. It is still regulated work and it is an offence to do it unless one is regulated, but in some cases “regulated” now includes some of the other classes of lawyers recognised under the Legal Services Act 2007.
Broadly speaking reserved activity work covers:
- The right of audience in courts
- The conduct of litigation
- Signing and lodging certain legal documents relating to the granting of probate
- Notarial activities
- The administration of oaths
- Signing and lodging certain legal documents relating to the transfer of land and property
See Schedule 2 of the Legal Services Act 2007 for more detailed definitions. The definitions are important as people mistakenly say that there is, for example, a conveyancing monopoly. There isn’t. Over 90% of the steps required for the average conveyance are regularly performed paralegals working in solicitors’ firms. Whether paralegals in paralegal law firms can do these things is a moot point.
Download the Institute of Paralegals briefing sheet on reserved activities:
http://www.theiop.org/uploads/downloads/Reserved%20Activites%20Briefing%20Sheet.pdf