Many of our trainee solicitors began their careers with us as paralegals, making it an excellent route for those looking to build a long-term career at Stewarts.

As a Stewarts paralegal, you will:

• Work closely with Partners and Associates on a day-to-day basis
• Support a range of complex and high-profile litigation matters
• Undertake both legal and administrative tasks as part of a varied role
• Gain exposure to clients, courts, counsel and experts
• Develop a detailed understanding of litigation practice in a specialist law firm
• Work towards an annual chargeable hours target of 650 hours, allowing time for training and development.

Paralegal recruitment

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is fair, transparent and based on merit.

• Applications are initially reviewed by our Recruitment team
• Where an application meets our requirements, we use Rare Recruitment’s contextual recruitment system to provide additional insight into a candidate’s achievements and potential
• First-round interviews are conducted virtually by our Early Careers team
• Successful candidates are invited to complete a written exercise and attend a final-stage interview with the hiring team
• Following the interview process, we aim to provide candidates with a timely outcome and constructive feedback regardless of the decision.

You can view our paralegal vacancies here.

What we are looking for

• An undergraduate degree in any subject
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
• A proactive approach and willingness to learn
• Previous legal or professional work experience is advantageous but not essential for all roles
• The ability to work on a full-time basis.

Tips for your application

• Take time to proofread your application carefully and check for spelling and grammatical errors
• Highlight achievements from your studies, work experience and extracurricular activities that demonstrate your skills and potential
• Explain why you are interested in Stewarts and how our specialist litigation practice aligns with your career aspirations
• Be prepared to discuss examples that demonstrate our values and the way you work with others.

Opportunities for progression

Many of our people build long-term careers at Stewarts, and we are committed to developing talent from within.

• Paralegals who have completed at least 24 months’ service and are performing strongly may progress to Senior Paralegal status
• Opportunities may arise to become a Paralegal Coordinator, supporting resource management and team operations within a department
• Paralegals can apply for transfers to other departments after completing 2f months’ service, allowing them to gain experience across different practice areas
• We currently recruit our trainee solicitors exclusively from our internal paralegal population, providing a clear pathway to qualification
• Time spent as a paralegal can count as Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) under the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) framework
• Whilst there are alternative routes to qualification through the SQE, newly qualified solicitor opportunities at Stewarts are currently offered through our training contract programme.

Accreditations

Partnerships