Going down the legal career route is a tough, yet gratifying, life choice. Sadly, many write off the chance of entering this line of work because they never went to law school. While this is applicable for those who want to become a lawyer, the legal sphere offers various roles which don’t require a specific education in law.
For a sample of alternative routes into a law career, without being a lawyer, read on below:
Paralegal
Rewarding work that is incredibly varied and comes with a generous salary on the table — there are many reasons why becoming a paralegal is seen as a viable option for those who seek a career in law.
The roles of the job are down to two aspects: the experiences/qualifications you possess, and where you work. Some paralegals will operate in the administrative side of a lawyer’s office, whereas others will be tasked with interviewing clients and researching cases. In certain cases, paralegals — at least those who are experienced — perform a role that is remarkably similar to a lawyer.
Legal Secretary
Although it is recommended that you acquire legal support qualifications, you can step into the role of a legal secretary without a degree. As a legal secretary’s role is all about keeping a solicitor’s office running smoothly, they are often considered the backbone of any legal business. Their tasks include arranging meetings, preparing legal documents, and maintaining the office’s filing systems.
Psychiatrist
Are you a psychiatric expert? If so, you have the chance of becoming a regular fixture for cases that require witness testimony from professional psychiatrists. Considering many proceedings require the assistance of an expert witness psychiatrist, and they cover family, civil and criminal cases, it can be a varied and fulfilling job.
However, the amount of work is down to a number of factors. Of course, the number of cases available is one way your workload is dictated. Each specific case will also have different requirements in terms of the psychiatric expert they need.
For example, if you specialize as an old age psychiatrist, this expertise will be required for any case that questions an individual’s cognitive decline or dementia. On the other hand, this specialist area of psychiatry wouldn’t be applicable for a case revolving around a criminal offence caused by a young adolescent.
Chartered Legal Executive
If you have dreams of becoming a solicitor, consider going down the chartered legal executive path. The role covers most of the responsibilities associated with a solicitor, except the process is streamlined and allows for an easier gateway into the law world.
Firstly, training to be a chartered legal executive is a lot cheaper and boasts the advantage of a “earn as you learn” model. Furthermore, unlike a solicitor who has to practice across three different specialist areas, a legal executive only needs to train and specialize in one field.
Plus, if you are completely transfixed on that dream solicitor job, don’t worry. After working as a chartered legal executive for a set period of time and passing all relevant courses, there is the opportunity to take a course which, upon successful completion, qualifies you as a solicitor.
