middle man solicitor

CanonDjango

CanonDjango

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anyone have any idea what this is? A friend of my wife is talking about investing 15 thousand pounds in some scheme which trains him up to become kind of a middle man solicitor to deal with less important issues than a real solicitor.

Sounds well dodgy to me, almost like a franchise or pyramid scheme. He is going to somerton in somerset to meet with the company.

anyone have a clue what this could be?
 
nope, but sounds "iffy"
 
I thought this type of position was called a "paralegal", I might be wrong......
 
Have to be a loon to hire one.
 
Is a paralegal the same as a legal secretary?
 
Paralegal is a nebulous title could mean anything, much the same as if studying a law degree you could class yourself as a lawyer.

Solicitor is a protected title and I think Legal Executive (Fellow etc) is also protected.

Depending on the size of the firm they may have typists through to assistants/PAs etc, again legal secretary means nothing specific.
 
Paralegal isn't the same as legal secretary, and I've never known anyone who simply holds a law degree to refer to themselves as a lawyer at that stage.
 
Oh I do. A friend I had from uni did just that
 
archangel said:
I thought this type of position was called a "paralegal", I might be wrong......
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That^ though it's a very US term.

There's supposed to be a growth of people like Tesco getting involved in this kind of thing. And IIRC much of the work done by ambulance chasers is done by 'unqualified' staff, where it's basically evidence gathering, it's clerical work really. I'd balk at a charge to train like that, these firms usually take the best of Joe Bloggs from a call centre, and pay them a bit more.
 
CanonDjango said:
Oh I do. A friend I had from uni did just that
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My BiL is a solicitor, he attends court representing (alleged) scumbags for a living, and he'd never refer to himself as a 'lawyer'.
 
I think the meaning of 'paralegal' varies a bit between countries, and I wasn't even aware that they existed in the UK. In SA, it usually describes someone working in a law firm, who provides some legal and support services under the oversight of an attorney, who is professionally responsible for their work.

Legal secretaries don't have legal qualifications. They normally work for an attorney, and have the usual responsibilities of a secretary, but are also familiar with legal terminology and processes/procedures. I think there are courses offering a diploma or a certificate, but most of the legal secretaries I've know got there through experience.
 
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I think this is where "our legally trained representative" comes into play with ambulance chasers and compensation con artists claims advisers.
 
I know some solicitors employ 'non' solicitors to do property conveyancing and also Wills. I also know that you can employ someone with a law degree from a good university with two years experience in a law firm for <£25k as I did just that last year. So I suspect your friend may not get a good return on his investment. Also if there is a need for this mysterious training would there not be courses available at local FE/HE colleges?

If I were him I would phone a few Solicitors and ask them.
 
As been said, the normal phrase is a Paralegal, these will take on there own cases or do the donkey work for the Solicitor. They don't need formal qualifications to carry out this role but obvisouly need experience. My wifes a Legal Secretary and she types for the Solicitor and other admin duties associated with a secretary. My wife deals in Medical Negligence.

The usual route for a solicitor I believe is to carryout your law exams and try and get a placement with a legal firm where you sit in different sections whilst you learn, this is usually called a training contract. A good paralegal can also follow this route and become a qualified solicitor providing they pass there law exams. One of my wifes work friends is going this route.

Without further clarification what the training is, or for, it seems as your friend is going to be mugged of 15k to become a paralegal or is this the cost of training / universities fees over a period of years to become a solicitor?

Maybe worth your friend having a look at these >

http://www.theiop.org/training/guide-to-choosing-a-course.html
http://www.cilex.org.uk/
http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/careers/becoming-a-solicitor/alternative-careers/
 
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And the only ways of becoming an actual (as opposed to this "middle man" nonsense) solicitor are listed HERE.
 
CanonDjango said:
anyone have any idea what this is? A friend of my wife is talking about investing 15 thousand pounds in some scheme which trains him up to become kind of a middle man solicitor to deal with less important issues than a real solicitor.

Sounds well dodgy to me, almost like a franchise or pyramid scheme. He is going to somerton in somerset to meet with the company.

anyone have a clue what this could be?
Click to expand...

sounds a lot like those dodgy schemes that alledgely train you to be a gas fitter or a plumber or (insert other lucrative job here)

in general they encourage people to pay up front , or to take loans from a finance partner to do so, and then go bankrupt/claim difficulties/ find another loophole/generally disapear - leaving the trainee without either qualification or money (and if they took a loan still liable for it as it was with a different company from the training provider)

I'd advise your friend to spend the 15k on beer and women of negotiable virtue ... it willhave the same net benefit to his employability and he'll have a lot more fun
 
If your friend has an interest in law, another option is to carry out the NEBOSH Diplomas in Health & Safety, can be a rewarding career and cost approx 4k for the two parts. I carried out the NVQ level 4 in Occupational Health & Safety (my company wouldn't pay the extra for Diplomas), along with the NEBOSH General Certificate and IOSH Managing Safely. These were about 18 years ago now, but imagine there hasn't been a lot of change except for the Environmental parts.
 
Ok but more info. Turns out the position is called a legal executive. It's essentially a learn on the job position

Any clues?
 
http://www.cilex.org.uk

Best advice I can give is look at what area of law they want to work in. Certain areas of law are dying in terms of practice, others are so competitive without being harsh may as well not bother unless will cut it with the best of the best.

Work experience/placements give a bit of an insight, although unless or until you are doing actual work it's very difficult to say whether will like that type of work or not.
 
CanonDjango said:
Ok but more info. Turns out the position is called a legal executive. It's essentially a learn on the job position

Any clues?
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Just a fancy name for an admin job with no legal standing at all.

Edit....and certainly not a position to be paying for.
 
viv1969 said:
Just a fancy name for an admin job with no legal standing at all.

Edit....and certainly not a position to be paying for.
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This is word for word his interpretation of it. Is he very much mistaken?

" over the last few years the legal profession has changed a lot, in a nutshell Barresters now have the same access to the public as Solicitors, so this company has created Legal Executives where you can learn on the job, eventually I would even be allowed to represent clients in court."
 
There are already different ways of being represented in court rather than by a solicitor.
The scheme sounds wholly scheisterish to me....especially the funding.
 
CanonDjango said:
This is word for word his interpretation of it. Is he very much mistaken?

" over the last few years the legal profession has changed a lot, in a nutshell Barresters now have the same access to the public as Solicitors, so this company has created Legal Executives where you can learn on the job, eventually I would even be allowed to represent clients in court."
Click to expand...

from here:
Solicitors and chartered legal executives
Solicitors are often more generalist lawyers who are
usually the first port of call for people with legal problems.
Traditionally, solicitors have enlisted the help of a barrister
for more specialist advice or to represent their client in
court but, just as public access barristers can now do
much of the work which solicitors have done in the past,
solicitors are also appearing in court on a more regular
basis (provided they have done the required training to
acquire ‘Higher Rights of Audience’, which means that
they are allowed to speak in court).
If you go to a law firm for legal advice and assistance,
some or all of the work may be carried out by a chartered
legal executive rather than a solicitor. Their everyday
work is similar to that of a solicitor, but a chartered legal
executive has taken a vocational route to becoming a
lawyer and has specialised in a particular area of law. They
can offer a more cost-effective service in some cases.
Most solicitors and chartered legal executives work within
law firms. You can search for a firm or solicitor according
to geographical and practice area on the Law Society’s
website:
www.lawsociety.org.uk/find-a-solicitor/
. You
can search for a chartered legal executive on the Chartered
Institute of Legal Executives’ website:
www.cilex.org.uk/
about_cilex_lawyers/cilex_lawyers_directory.aspx.
 
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