NALP welcomes move to look at role of paralegals

Amanda Hamilton, chief executive of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals, has welcomed the move by the Legal Services Board to look into the expanding role played by paralegals in the sector.

With the number of paralegals estimated to be nearer 200,000 at the present time, Ms Hamilton believes that they will play a huge part in the future of legal services

The study by the LSB will also look at the mismatch between the number of Legal Practice Course graduates and training contracts.

At a recent conference on the 'Future of Legal Education' held at the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple in London, Nicholas Green, ex-chair of the Council for the Bar, made the point that there are a significant number of both aspiring barristers and solicitors who cannot find pupilages or training contracts and who are entering the paralegal market 'which is now growing faster than the profession itself'.

He also made the point that the standards of some of these paralegals is astonishing and that the 'existence of paralegal capacity will exert a profound effect upon not only solicitors but also upon the Bar in the next few years'.

Ms Hamilton, who also attended the conference, said: 'For once, the role of the paralegal has been not only mentioned by several high profile individuals, but also in a way that expresses acknowledgment about their future positive role in the changing legal arena.'