From trainee Accredited Paralegal to Committee member – how I upskilled with the Society’s accreditation.

Having been appointed a member of the accredited paralegal committee in April 2023, I’ve had the opportunity to review applications from my fellow paralegals who wish to become accredited. During that time, I’ve come to realise how individual the journey to becoming an accredited paralegal is, sometimes starting at the beginning of someone’s career or after many years of being a paralegal; every application and journey is different. 

My own journey started in 2012 when I joined the governance, legal, risk and compliance team within Lothian Pension Fund (LPF) to support the pension committee and consultative panel (now called the pension board). It wasn’t a typical paralegal role but as it evolved it was clear that in order to effectively support the governance of LPF it was important for me to have a detailed understanding of local government law. As a result, I studied the specialist qualification in local government law from CLT.  My supervising solicitor (who was also my line manager) was very supportive of my career development and suggested I then apply to become an accredited paralegal in the practice area of Company Law. This coincided with the way LPF was evolving from being a division within the City of Edinburgh Council to an arm’s length company, so LPF were keen to develop skills within the existing team to support its changing business needs. As I had only recently completed my specialist paralegal qualification, I applied for the trainee-accredited paralegal route to allow me to develop further. When I contacted the team at the Law Society, they were really helpful and put me at ease, clarifying exactly what I needed to do. There were some competencies on the list that my day job didn’t quite cover, however, my supervising solicitor and I reviewed the gaps and made sure that I had the opportunity to gain the relevant experience to meet the criteria. After a year I had completed my development requirements and was accredited, it was brilliant to be acknowledged by the Law Society. After such an encouraging experience I went on to reinforce my knowledge and completed a further CLT Specialist Qualification in Company Law.   

I’ve been accredited now for about 5 years now and it's something I’m very proud of. For me, the accreditation is important in recognising the work I do and supports my professional development annually by encouraging me to consider what I need to ensure I continue to meet the key competencies of my practice area. More recently I’ve been working toward the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland Company Secretary qualification. 

At the start of 2023, I spotted the advert for committee members and was keen to make myself useful whilst also having the opportunity to discover what it is like to be a committee member, having supported so many over the years. I was thrilled when I was appointed and although I’m still fairly new, I’ve immediately been made welcome by the whole committee, with Laura being a fantastic committee secretary who keeps us all involved and organised. I’ve been able to see firsthand how committed the Law Society are in the aim to review, improve and evolve the accreditation. Suggestions received for new potential practice areas and ways the Society can further support paralegals are welcomed and carefully considered. I would encourage you to get in touch if you have a suggestion for the committee whether it's suggesting a new practice area or any other support that you feel paralegals require. 

If you’re thinking about applying for the accreditation there is lots of information on the website and if you can’t find what you need, please get in touch directly. I’m looking forward to my time on the committee and having the opportunity to work with the other members. All of us are committed to ensuring we recognise, support, and develop paralegals throughout Scotland for the benefit of the public and the legal profession as a whole.

 The Accredited Paralegal Committee are currently looking for a solicitor member and a new Convener. Applications are now open and close on the 19 September.