Your career questions answered

Q: I manage a team of paralegals in a busy personal injury department. Some are working towards a CILEX qualification and others the SQE, but the majority don’t want to undertake further study and are happy in the paralegal role. This includes some very experienced and knowledgeable paralegals who I want to ensure stay with the firm. Other than increasing their salary – something that is not always in my gift – how can I keep them motivated and recognise their skills?

Louise: For paralegals who are not planning to undertake further qualifications, one of the most effective ways to keep them motivated and engaged is through professional recognition.

Paralegals can now gain formal recognition either as a CILEX Paralegal or CILEX Chartered Paralegal, based entirely on their work experience. These regulated, publicly recognised titles can bring a strong sense of professional identity and pride, provide clients and colleagues with increased confidence and offer a structured career path.

The minimum experience required for CILEX Paralegal is two years, and for CILEX Chartered Paralegal, five years.

The application process is straightforward and evidence-based, with no exams required. It assesses an individuals’ professional competence against defined duties and associated behaviours, and for Chartered Paralegal includes a professional interview to confirm their competence.

This route is ideal for those who may not wish to pursue further qualifications but deserve formal recognition for their expertise. It can be a powerful retention tool, showing your team that their skills are respected and valued. Both membership grades also commit to a code of conduct and continuing professional development (CPD), further reinforcing their professional standing.

In addition to CILEX recognition, you might consider internal initiatives to boost morale, such as introducing a paralegal of the month award, or nominating them for the annual National Paralegal Awards.

You could also consider empowering your more experienced paralegals by involving them in mentoring or training more junior staff, which not only acknowledges their expertise, but also fosters a collaborative team culture.

Q: I’m an associate working in employment law. Recently a couple of colleagues left the firm and have not been replaced. This has led to more and more work coming my way and I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. I’ve always been very capable but I’m worried about falling behind or making mistakes. The partner I work for is very hands-off and expects us all just to get on with it – how do I raise this with them?

Hannah: Don’t lose faith in yourself and your capabilities. It is very normal to feel a bit stretched or stressed at times in a busy firm but it’s not reasonable to let this continue and for you to feel overwhelmed.

It is right and sensible to review your workload, including billings, at any time. Consider collating the number of matters/cases that you are working on and the number of chargeable hours you are clocking up. How does this compare to your target?

Think about the type of work you are undertaking and consider if any of it could be undertaken by a more junior colleague or paralegal. Alternatively, would you benefit from any specific technical training to help you progress your matters faster or more efficiently?

If possible, you should put together a plan of how the problem might be addressed in terms of delegation or training. I would then request a meeting with the partner. Start by highlighting the volume of work you are currently covering and the fact that you want to ensure that no mistakes are made, at the same time as your desire to improve your skills and knowledge as an employment lawyer. Ask for help and suggestions for how you can achieve this.

So often managers are not aware of the stress a team member is under. By coming to the meeting prepared and with your own suggestions, you can demonstrate how committed and capable you are. It is in the firm’s best interests that you are helped and supported.

Obviously, if this is not successful, there is the option to explore the employment law job market to find a more supportive team where you will learn more and work in a less stressful environment.

In the meantime, make sure you are managing your own wellbeing as well as you can – having appropriate downtime, doing exercise and eating well so that your overall health is not affected by work. Consider if there are changes to your daily or weekly routine to help you stay on top of your game.

Louise: How you are feeling is completely understandable. You’ve been handling a significant increase in workload with professionalism and resilience, but it is also important to recognise when the pressure is becoming unsustainable.

Raising this with your partner is not only reasonable, it is responsible. You might want to consider scheduling a meeting to discuss this, rather than raising it informally. If you frame the conversation around your commitment to quality, in that you don’t want the volume of work to impact the quality of your work or lead to delays, then it is likely to be better received.

You should be specific about the challenges you have met, mentioning particular tasks or deadlines that are becoming difficult to manage. If possible, it is always worth having a proposed solution, whether that is prioritising certain matters, redistributing work or bringing in temporary support. It would be good to establish if the intention is to replace those who have left.

Even if the partner is hands-off, they will most likely appreciate a proactive and constructive approach. You’re not complaining, you’re protecting your ability to do your job well.