The Role of a Paralegal

The following article is written by Dominic Livesey who joined the firm in February 2025 as a paralegal. This is his account of his experience as a paralegal at Hallinans and we hope you will find it informative and useful. Dominic plans to apply for pupilage and specialise in criminal defence.

A frequently little understood part of the legal sphere is what the role of paralegal actually entails. I too had a lack of understanding of the position prior to my work with Hallinans. This is, therefore, a comprehensive summary of my time with the firm, the nature of the work that I do, and the benefits of working as a paralegal to anyone with an interest in a career in law.

What it is really like working as a paralegal in a busy criminal defence firm based in London.

Arriving at Hallinans, I had zero experience of work in the legal sector, I had a law degree and the Bar course under my belt, but truly no idea how the criminal justice system actually operated. The single-most striking thing since starting this job is how apparent it has become as to why Chambers value work experience in Law so highly for pupillage applications.

By way of preface, Hallinans is strictly a criminal defence firm, as a consequence of which the work is intensely focused, and the proximity to the meat-and-potatoes of the legal system is exceedingly high. Every client is an accused criminal, almost every opposition is the CPS, and pretty much every matter will come to a resolution in court. So, in an industry where the work is so fast, the money so thin, and the stakes so high, what does a paralegal do? The simple answer is that they do a little bit of everything so everyone else’s work goes smoother, but what that actually means is: writing letters, being the first point of office contact, setting up conferences, arranging expert witnesses, attending court, attending conferences, attending the police station, setting up case files, applying for legal aid, relaying documents, contacting the court, chasing the police, chasing the CPS, chasing the client, doing legal research, creating case summaries, analysing evidence, creating evidence bundles, answering the phone. You do just about everything other than  standing up in court.

Coming into this job with no practical experience has been an incredibly intense experience but one that has been enjoyable beyond estimation. I was highly fortunate to spend my first two weeks under the wing of a veteran paralegal (now pupil barrister) who could show me the ropes as best as possible in a two-week window. They were reviewing my first emails to court and counsel before they were reviewed by the supervising Solicitor, guiding me through the process of writing client care letters, and acting as back up for my first phone calls with clients and 101. Everything I did was immediately foreign and came with the daunting weight that a mistake might land the firm in trouble and a client in prison. But the confidence necessary to be in constant communication with counsel, the police, and courts came incredibly fast, because it needed to; and thanks to that I now have a vastly more comprehensive understanding of the criminal justice system,  the functions of all the people involved within it, especially solicitors and counsel, and the confidence to act upon that knowledge efficiently.

However, I would argue that the most important thing I have gained from this job is the client handling skills. Talking to an individual whose freedom is on the line, and they see you as the only thing protecting that can be a very nervy experience, and add onto that the often unfortunate backgrounds and history that have resulted in many of these individuals ending up on the wrong side of the police, and a number of these conversations can be difficult, uncomfortable, and occasionally met with real hostility – something I struggled with greatly when I began this role. However, developing the confidence and understanding to know what is actually happening, the possible permutations that may occur, and what the client is immediately concerned with, have made these conversations go from daunting to invaluable, both for us and for them. If anybody is interested in becoming a barrister, there is no better way to learn the client management and communication skills required than being a criminal paralegal. You will have clients with drug and alcohol problems, a propensity for violent behaviour, or who are scared in a way that they never imagined they would be – and you need to tell them what is happening and what is going to happen, even when it’s the news they don’t want to hear.

The phone is far from the only part of my job though, and consequently client handling is not the only skill a paralegal will need to develop. I have been lucky enough to take attendance notes at the Central Criminal Court, meet and liaise with KCs instructed by or opposing to our client, a significant sum of hours is spent writing client letters, helping me to make my writing drastically more concise and clear to the client. I am required to monitor deadlines and ensure that tasks are completed when they need to be, both by myself and by the other side, which has aided greatly in developing my organisational, time-management and communication skills, especially when the opposition really doesn’t want to stick to their deadlines.

The aspect I think I personally have developed the most is simply my understanding of the criminal justice system, knowing what orders, acronyms, third-parties agencies, and types of hearing are; being able to foresee issues and ask questions before they come up so that communication is fluid and problems are mitigated against early; knowing what each person’s role is and therefore who is best to contact with each question or concern, when they will be available and whether you have all the information they are going to require. When your job involves doing a little bit of everything, you need to understand the entire system comprehensively and quickly.

Owing to all of the skills, that I honestly believe cannot be developed in any other job and certainly not as efficiently, I don’t just recommend being a paralegal as a way to secure pupillage or a training contract, I would recommend it as a way to simply be a better barrister or solicitor full stop in the long-run. I can say with complete earnest, that I have thoroughly enjoyed my still brief time as a paralegal, and would whole-heartedly encourage anybody interested in a career at the Bar to do the same, especially in criminal law.

If you are interested in advancing your career in criminal defence, it is highly recommended that you seek experience with a law firm as a paralegal. The skills you develop will serve you well when you go into practice. Keep an eye on our LinkedIn page and our careers pages for details of any upcoming roles.