UK Paralegal Academy

There’s more than one path into a law career, and our Paralegal Academy offers a brilliant new way to build an exciting future in our UK casualty practice.

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Overview

Every case has it's own story and so does every paralegal. When you begin your story with Clyde & Co, you’ll have the opportunity to shape a career path that’s completely your own. In fact, the experience you have as part of our Paralegal Academy will be unique to you.

Our Paralegal Academy comprises a range of initiatives and programmes that can help you develop the technical and core skills you need to become a confident Paralegal.

Join the programme and you’ll discover clear pathways for career progression. You’ll learn from experienced professionals at all levels of our business, and you’ll have full support and guidance around your personal and professional development. Plus dedicated training. All while earning as you learn.

What to expect

Throughout your time on our Paralegal Academy, you’ll be able to craft a career that suits your ambitions. For some, that might look like honing a particular area of law – for others it will be completing the casualty SQE (Solicitors Qualifying Examination) qualification programme. Whatever it is, we’re here for your success.

A firm on a different scale

We have the most respected casualty practice in the UK. That means we’re trusted with some severe and complex cases. The locations you'll be based in are state-of-the-art and home to some of the best expertise and technology in the industry.

Learn from industry experts

Our casualty teams include some of the most experienced practitioners in the industry, ready to guide and mentor you. You’ll work closely with partners and fee earners on every aspect of your cases, while benefiting from a genuinely inclusive workplace that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and offers opportunities to learn from a diverse team of experts.

No two days are the same

From Motor to Catastrophic Injury & Large Loss, the range and depth of cases here are unmatched. You’ll be trusted to run your caseload with support from supervisors and mentors and assist in high-level, complex cases too.

Development beyond ordinary

Underpinning your on-the-job learning and guidance from the top experts in the casualty field is our training programme. It’s your programme, so you play a big part in how your development is structured – and we’ll be there to guide you all the way.

Go further than you imagine

Our Paralegal Academy lead will be on hand to keep everything running smoothly, and our legal training manager will support you with technical training aligned to our competency framework. If you’re one of our top performers, you could also apply for our casualty SQE (Solicitors Qualifying Examination) qualification programme (England only) or internal training contract routes (see eligibility).

A career without limitations

Whatever your background or experience, we believe in your passion for the law. Our paralegals are from wide-ranging communities and our strengths-based recruitment process acknowledges that.

Career progression for paralegals

Paralegals who demonstrate strong performance in their role may be eligible to apply for an internal qualification pathway. Applications are typically considered after a minimum of 12 months’ service, with specific eligibility criteria varying by programme.

It is important to note that many paralegals choose not to pursue qualification as a lawyer. There are a wide range of alternative career progression opportunities within legal support that you may wish to explore.

England

You may join the Casualty Qualification Healthcare Pathway (CHQP), which allows you to complete the SQE part time while continuing to work. Successful completion leads to qualification as a lawyer within the Casualty practice. In addition, an internal training contract route is available in a limited number of offices.

Scotland

An internal training contract route is available, open only to candidates holding a Scots law degree.

Northern Ireland

An internal training contract route is available, provided you hold a qualifying law degree.

Our process

Our strengths-based recruitment process is based on fairness and equity. It’s designed to help us identify what motivates you to work at a city law firm, over your learnt experiences, and helps you show us the most authentic version of yourself. Here’s how it works:

Applications open

For all programmes, you’ll need to make your application online via our online application system. At this stage you’ll just need to complete your basic personal information. No lengthy written tasks for you to complete here.

Online assessment

If you meet our eligiblity criteria, you will be invited to complete an online assessment. This includes a critical reasoning test, as well as our Clyde & Co strengths-based assessment, which contains a mix of question types including written and order ranking. It is designed to present you with some of the challenges you can expect to face at Clyde & Co.

Video interview

If you perform well in our initial online assessment, you will then be invited to complete a pre-recorded video interview. This means that you will be asked questions and will need to record your spoken response via video interview on our assessment platform. Some of these questions will be situational, but others will focus on your motivations for the role and Clyde & Co.

Assessment centre

Our assessment centre is the final stage of the process. Here, we are assessing candidates based on the strengths that will deliver success in a role. The assessment centre comprises of a written task and a strengths-based interview.

Offer

Our favourite part – the offer. We’ll notify you by phone if you’re successful, if you’re not, we’ll offer you some feedback for development. Don't worry, you will hear from us either way!

About you

Offering a brilliant opportunity for anyone who’s interested in a law career - even if you’ve missed previous application deadlines, or if law wasn’t your first career choice. The Paralegal Academy is a way into a legal career for everyone.

Key requirements:

2:1 degree in any discipline (no law experience required)
AAB A-Level, Highers or equivalent (mitigating circumstances will be taken into consideration)
Under 12-months paralegal experience. If you have 12-months or more, please apply to experienced hire paralegal roles

Useful resources

Please find resources to help you navigate your application. See below to register to our Insight Days.

UK Candidate Hub

Everything you need before you apply. Check which programmes you're eligible for, gain insight into the work we do through a virtual work simulation, and access helpful resources to prepare your application.

FAQs

FAQs for our UK based early careers programmes.

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Early Careers Learning Hub

Whether you're preparing an application, developing your professional skills or exploring career opportunities, our Learning Hub offers resources, guidance and insights to support your journey.