Paralegal Apprenticeships (Level 3)
Paralegal apprenticeships are a perfect entry point for apprentices. Combined with our solicitor apprenticeship it can be used as the first step on the path to qualification as a solicitor.
Paralegals usually work under the supervision of qualified lawyers and mainly give legal advice on routine and straightforward matters. They support other legal professionals, including on regulated aspects of law.
O Shaped
We have the only paralegal apprenticeship in England which incorporates O Shaped resources. O Shaped is a movement aimed at creating more client-led, people-focused and business-minded legal professionals. The resources support paralegals to develop core skills become more effective in areas such as relationship building, emotional intelligence and problem solving.
Watch our short interview with Dan Kayne, Founder of O Shaped for more insight.
Professional recognition
Benefits to your business
Paralegal apprenticeships can bring added value to your legal firm or teams. For example, apprentices can:
- Provide the support your team requires to meet client requirements and goals
- Bring different skills and approaches that complement the traditional trainee route
- Provide a deep talent pipeline
- Create a healthier, more successful working environment and a better
client experience - Increase diversity.
The Damar Difference
We can support you and your team to deliver apprenticeships with real impact. Some key features of our paralegal apprenticeships include:
- Experience: All paralegal coaches and subject specialists are qualified and experienced legal professionals.
- O Shaped: The only paralegal apprenticeship in England which incorporates O Shaped content, designed to create more well-rounded, client-led and people-focused legal professionals.
- Pathways: Seven different pathways, covering all main areas of law.
- Specialist workshops: Live workshops with subject specialist tutors, corresponding to chosen pathway.
- Progression: Clear and seamless progression onto the 35-month solicitor apprenticeship.
- Professional recognition: Successful apprentices can apply to become a registered paralegal technician or for exemption against certain CILEX foundation units.
- Our people: An experienced team to support and empower you and your apprentice, to ensure they achieve the qualification and have an impact on your organisation.
- Our processes: Our one-team approach offers a seamless enrolment and onboarding process, which leads into carefully planned, manageable chunks of learning.
- Our systems: Our accessible and engaging systems include OneFile, Profiler, Damar OpenLearning, and our apprentice forums.
“The paralegal apprenticeship provides a culture of learning and development for our ambitious colleagues and promotes progression in our organisation. It allows us to retain talent and supports one of our values – making the difference for our colleagues.”
Lynette Smith
Senior Learning & Development Partner
Brabners
Apprenticeship delivery
- Pre-work: Reading or video content relating to the module.
- Group coaching session: Apprentices ask questions, discuss their learning with peers and prepare themselves for the individual activity.
- Individual learning activity: Apprentices work through the activity brief, building their evidence to support the portfolio and end-point assessment. This allows the apprentice to embed and contextualise their learning.
- Main learning: Self-directed, interactive content on our online learning platform.
- 1:1 Coaching visit: Every six weeks the coach and apprentice meet to review progress, discuss personal development and sign-off completed modules.
- Legal knowledge and practice content: Underpinned by live workshops, delivered by sector experts, and high-quality online resources. Apprentices are tasked with completing their knowledge learning prior to the relevant workshop.
- Review meeting: Every 12 weeks the coach, apprentice and line manager meet to review progress.
Paralegal apprenticeship take approximately 21 months (including preparation for end-point assessment).
People of all ages and educational backgrounds can undertake paralegal apprenticeships, but there are some restrictions, the most important of which are:
- The employer and the training provider must ascertain that the apprenticeship will allow the individual to gain substantive new skills. The training therefore needs to be materially different from any prior qualification or previous apprenticeship.
- The apprenticeship must align with the skills needs of the apprentice’s role.
- The apprentice must be employed, usually for 30+ hours a week, and work more than 50% of their time in England.
- All apprenticeships must take at least 12 months with apprentices spending a minimum of 6 hours per week in off-the-job training. All Damar apprenticeships plan for more than the legal minimum. There is more on how we maximise the benefits of off-the-job training here: https://damartraining.com/news/2023/so-what-is-off-the-job-training/.
Paralegal apprenticeships are formed of carefully planned and sequenced 6-week modules that help apprentices learn and apply the knowledge, skills and behaviours required.
Paralegal modules:
- Legal and regulatory requirements
- Unlocking potential
- Collaborative working and equality
- Security and sustainability
- Effective communication and drafting
- Principles of workload management
- Assisting on legal matters
- Commercial drivers and client accounts
- The stakeholder
- Legal research skills
- Principles of problem solving
- Legal landscape
Employer partners and apprentices are supported throughout the apprenticeship. The apprentice has a dedicated coach who provides 1:1 support, alongside the group coaching sessions and apprentice forums where they can engage with other appentices on the same programme. Review meetings with the apprentice, line manager and coach are held every 12 weeks. All of our employers also have a business development manager/executive they can contact at any time.
All apprenticeships embed the functional use of maths and English as well as personal development topics in areas such as equality and diversity and British Values. Apprentices unable to evidence maths and English at GCSE level 4 or above may need to take functional skills exams as part of the apprenticeship. Additional training is provided if necessary.
The end-point assessment for paralegal apprenticeships involves:
- A 60 minute professional discussion with an independent end-point assessor, supported by a portfolio.
- A project report, presentation and Q&A with an independent assessor on a specific problem, recurring issue or an idea or opportunity relating to the apprentice’s area of specialism.
There is an exciting range of progression routes from paralegal apprenticeships. The most common is to the solicitor apprenticeship. Other routes are to the Chartered Legal Executive apprenticeship or apprenticeships in related areas such as Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner. Several other higher level legal apprenticeships are in development.
If your annual UK wage bill is over £3 million, the cost of training can be funded via the Apprenticeship Levy. We can help you navigate your Apprenticeship Service account to access this funding.
If your annual UK wage bill is below £3 million, the government covers 95-100% of the training costs.
For apprentices aged up to 21, the apprenticeship is fully government-funded*. For apprentices aged 22 and over, the apprenticeship is 95% government-funded*. These new funding rules are applicable to apprentices starting from 1 April 2024.
*Please note: Some apprenticeships have accreditation costs which are not eligible for government funding
We have regular start dates throughout the year for our apprenticeships. Please get in touch for more information.
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