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 for each of the core occupational duties undertaken by paralegals. 

• Duty 1. Support provision of legal advice by other legal professionals 
• Duty 2. Provide ethical legal services ensuring high standards of client care ensuring they are acting in the best interests of the client
• Duty 3. Complete routine legal research and present information in response to requests from others under supervision 
• Duty 4. Assist with the initial review of legal documents for example witness statements, meeting notes, contract reviews, lease agreements, bundles and produce varied correspondence 
• Duty 5. Produce first drafts of legal documents and proofread documents under supervision using digital tools
• Duty 6. Use and support the use of digital technology and tools within the organisation 
• Duty 7. Engage with stakeholders appropriately and adapt communication styles and tools appropriately including escalating problems when appropriate in line with organisational policies and procedures 
• Duty 8. Manage own workload using digital management systems and undertake review of casework to ensure progression is maintained and problems identified and escalated 
• Duty 9. Deliver paralegal activities in support of the organisation’s commercial strategy or budgetary constraints such as value for money, compliance with time billing and fee structure policies 
• Duty 10. Assist in work with clients to provide an excellent customer service on routine casework 
• Duty 11. Assist in carrying out “Know Your Client” activities to ensure that the appropriate type of scale of legal service is being provided
• Duty 12. Administer digital systems to create, maintain and use client and organisation data securely in line with legislation
• Duty 13. Ensure that all transactions and activities are carried out safely and securely to protect the organisation from threats such as money laundering, fraud and cybercrime  
• Duty 14. Identify the limits of their personal professional experience and competence and escalate instructions that are beyond their scope of expertise

Additional information can be found in our delivery model.

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.