60 seconds with… Sharon Connolly, Accredited Paralegal Committee convener

As convener of the Accredited Paralegal Committee, Sharon has developed the Paralegal Practice course with Robert Gordon University (RGU) and expanded the Law Society’s accreditation scheme with her fellow committee members. We catch up to discuss her role and where she sees things going in the future.

Sharon, can you kick things off by telling us a bit about your career so far…

I have worked in Perth, primarily in residential and commercial conveyancing, for over 30 years. I was considering the other day how many transactions I may have completed in my career to date and I think it must be at least 8,000, if not more, which is quite a number!

I have also spent time in wills and executries and debt recovery but always kept my hand in and came back to conveyancing. There’s nothing like telling someone they’ve got the house they wanted.  

I have carried out roles in office management and compliance as well.

You’ve spoken about how your role has seen you take on business development and marketing opportunities as well as office management and compliance; what have you learned from taking on those opportunities over and above being a paralegal?

I have been lucky to be given these opportunities where I could learn and develop different skills and knowledge from HR, technology and regulation through to office layout and supplies. Learning to juggle and balance workloads and demands is key when you have mixed roles. 

Compliance is obviously so important in our industry with the ever-increasing regulations. Being able to discuss this with colleagues, and how it frames policies and procedures, was so insightful and also helped in my day-to-day conveyancing role.

On top of a very busy day job, you’ve got five accreditations under your belt. Why would you encourage paralegals and firms to prioritise development opportunities?

The different accreditations came at different points of need for the firms I was with at the time. I was willing to adapt and challenge myself to learn and acquire new skills to help the firm, colleagues and clients. It gave me a better understanding of different areas of law. I think if opportunities arise, especially around learning, then if you can, take them. The firms I have worked in have always seen the benefit of encouraging paralegal training and development opportunities and I am grateful to all who have supported me to date.

You have just launched the general accreditation for paralegals, expanding the scheme to account for paralegals in niche or varied roles. Why was it important to expand the accreditation now and what do you hope to see happen with the scheme going forward?

The scheme has 15 practice areas with the highest number of members in the traditional fields. With more specialised areas of law and paralegals carrying out more bespoke roles, the committee could not necessarily bring new practice areas for each request but wanted to recognise the knowledge, experience and hard work of those paralegals by offering them a general accreditation. This also can give the firms that they work for and with, and the general public, additional confidence that they have met the scheme’s competencies. 

Should there be sufficient interest in new practice areas then the committee may be able to look at bringing an area-specific accreditation. We will be watching the applications with interest. I very much hope that expanding the scheme in this way will increase our Accredited Paralegal numbers, helping to raise the profile of paralegals in Scotland.

In 2023 you were named Paralegal of the Year at the Herald Law Awards. Looking back at what you have achieved, what advice would you give to a paralegal at the start of their career?

Take every opportunity you can, keep learning and keep putting yourself forward.

Finally, what keeps you busy outside of work?

I am tutoring on the residential conveyancing module of the RGU Paralegal Practice course this coming semester, so that is definitely keeping me busy just now and is a new challenge and learning opportunity. Beyond that, just time at home with the family, in the garden and perhaps a wee glass of something!