The paralegal role

• The firm does not employ secretaries. Instead, our paralegals provide all the administrative support to our fee-earners, with assistance from our general office team and executive assistants as necessary.
• The paralegal role consists of fee earning and administrative tasks. Paralegals have chargeable hours targets of 525 hours per annum.

Paralegal recruitment

• Paralegal vacancies arise from time to time in each of our departments, both in London and Leeds. You can view our paralegal vacancies here.
• To apply for a vacancy, please email our recruitment team at careers@stewartslaw.com with a covering letter (one page maximum) and a full CV.

The process:

• All applications are screened by our recruitment team.
• If a candidate’s application meets our requirements, we will review it using Rare Recruitment, a contextualised recruitment tool.
• First round interviews are conducted by Lizzie Downs, HR Manager, via Zoom.
• A shortlist of candidates is then given to the hiring manager to review. If you are successful at the first stage interview, you will be invited to attend an in-person second stage interview with the hiring manager.
• After your interviews, we will review your performance and aim to get back to you with a decision as quickly as possible. Regardless of the outcome, we are committed to providing constructive feedback on your interview performance.

Requirements

• Paralegal candidates must have at least a 2:1 undergraduate degree.
• Candidates must have fully completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC), Solicitor’s Qualifying Examination (SQE) 1 or Bar Course and have received their final result.
• Ideally, candidates have gained some previous relevant work experience, although candidates straight from law school with excellent academics are also encouraged to apply.
• Applicants should ideally be able to commit to at least 12 months service and must be able to work on a full-time basis.

Hints and tips for applying

• Please make sure you check your application for grammar and spelling mistakes.
• Try to make your CV and cover letter stand out from the crowd by highlighting your skills and achievements inside and outside of your work experience and studies. This is your chance to sell yourself.
• Think about why you want to work for Stewarts rather than any other law firm, and make sure this comes across in your application and interview.
• It’s not just about skillset; we aim to recruit paralegals who respect our values.

FAQs

Do you accept applications from law and non-law students?

Yes, we welcome applications from all degree disciplines. We tend to get an even split of applications from law and non-law students.

Do you select candidates from specific universities?

No, we enjoy receiving applications from all universities.

Do you accept applications from mature students and people who are changing careers?

Yes, we welcome applications from mature students and career changers.

Do you provide funding for the LPC, SQE or bar course?

No, candidates are required to self-fund these courses.

Do you still accept the GDL/LPC?

Yes, we will accept the GDL and LPC if you have already started/completed your course.

Can I apply for a paralegal role at Stewarts if I have already accepted a training contract with another firm to commence in the future?

Provided you are able to commit 12 months to our paralegal role, we welcome your application.

Opportunities for progression

• Paralegals who have been with the firm for more than 12 months, reach their chargeable hours targets and exceed certain standards can apply for senior paralegal status.
• When a vacancy arises, paralegals can apply for the role of paralegal coordinator to help with resourcing and day-to-day issues in their department.
• Paralegals can apply for an internal transfer to another department once they have completed 12 months of service at the firm.
• We exclusively recruit our trainee solicitors from our internal pool of paralegals. Please refer to the trainee solicitors page for more information.
• Paralegals are able to qualify through the SQE route using their time at Stewarts as qualifying work experience. However, at the moment, we are only offering newly qualified (NQ) positions via our training contract route.

Partnerships and Accreditations