Pros
- Great job to obtain quick experience as you are thrown into the deep end once you begin. You are essentially carrying out a solicitors job (except without a formal qualification) so it is a great way to experience everything. - Coworkers are friendly and supportive of each other as everyone are in the same boat. - Work involved is legal aid work so it can be very rewarding when a case succeeds. - There is a flexibility in the role as well (hybrid work and management allows you to take unpaid leave for studies or any personal circumstances) - Solicitors and supervisors working in the firm are very knowledgeable and tries their best to assist paralegals when they can.
Cons
- Stressful work environment due to the nature of the work. - Lack of cohesive supervision styles causing misunderstandings within teams of how work should be conducted. Exacerbated by the lack of communication between management and staff. - Solicitors are overworked and as a result are unable to fully support their paralegals (hence the thrown into the deep end) - Turnover rate is extremely high, shortest being a week and longest around 2 years (as of writing) for paralegals. Average paralegal life span is around 3-6months. Which causes quality of work to be affected due to the constant changing of caseworkers.