‘How can I stand out amongst other paralegals?’

Have you watched the Hunger Games movies? That’s your template. Up your bow and arrow skills to the point where you are literally the only candidate.

Focus on doing the simple things well.

If you’re given an ad-hoc piece of work, make sure you understand the task and deadline, and produce a good work product ahead of the deadline. It’s good to ask questions to understand where the smaller task fits in to the bigger picture.

If you’re working on an ongoing project, take ownership of whatever aspects of that project you’ve been made responsible for. If external emails come to you, action where you can and seek guidance where you need it.

Be responsive. If someone (internal or external) sends you an email, reply promptly, even with just a holding response.

If you can do the above things, people will likely trust you and enjoy working with you.

Work hard, be proactive, follow instructions, be social and friendly and most importantly…

Do not believe for a second that you are entitled to a training contract simply because you are a paralegal!

The unfortunate truth is that many (not all) firms in the City do not have a good paralegal to TC pipeline, mainly because the TC recruits are taken primarily from vacation schemes and direct applications. Think about the fact that vac schemers often do 2 weeks experience to bag a training contract. On the other hand, it is not unheard of for paralegals to put in literally years of experience, whilst constantly getting passed over by sprightly Oxbridge / Russell Group undergraduates, before getting a sniff of an opportunity.

The blunt reason for this is that paralegals, whilst intelligent and highly capable of doing TC/NQ level work, are far cheaper than trainees/NQs, and firms are very reluctant to offer them all payrises (or lose their skillset to the seat rotations of a TC).

How do you navigate this problem? Build up your paralegal experience as soon as you land. Do the work you are given, and do it well. Put your hand up and get onto interesting matters, rather than back-to-back doc review. Build good relationships with your supervisors so they can recommend you for more substantive work.

Then, as soon as possible, use this accumulated experience to cross-sell yourself to other firms and apply for TCs there. There is absolutely nothing wrong with applying to other firms whilst you are employed as a paralegal (and any firm that tries to make you feel different is trying to exploit you). Being a paralegal (at least, in the UK) is a means to an end, not a career path in and of itself (and certainly not at the comparative low wages you are often paid).

If your current firm really valued you after a while (and on a sensible timetable, this should be between 6-18 months), they would encourage you to apply for a TC sooner than later. If you don’t have the nod after a year, go elsewhere. It’s your career and you’ve got to protect it!

I have just got a TC at a top UK law firm.

Ignore all the stuff about dressing well and socialising outside your team.

All they care about is how good you are at your job- create a strong impression across the firm that you are a “safe pair of hands” and you are onto a winner.

It’s not who you know, it’s who you show.

You need to demonstrate you have what it takes to finish the job.