Legal education provider BARBRI has today been shortlisted for the National Paralegal Awards 2023.
Now in its fifth year, the National Paralegal Awards returns to promote the work and achievements of paralegals in the UK, as well as the companies that support the profession. There are 13 individual and five business categories in total, designed to reflect and recognise the diversity of a paralegal’s role and the essential service they provide.
With fellow finalists including Anglia Research Services, Estatesearch, Ochresoft, and Solve Legal Limited T/a Today’s Media Ltd, BARBRI has been shortlisted for the Best Legal Profession Supplier Award. It has been shortlisted for its forward-thinking support for paralegals hoping to qualify as solicitors through the new route to qualification, the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).
BARBRI managing director, Lucie Allen, says: “We’re very proud to be recognised by the National Paralegal Awards for a second consecutive year as a trusted supplier to the legal profession. Improving access to the profession has been a key target for BARBRI in line with the SRA’s diversity and inclusion objectives since we launched our prep courses in 2021 and for us, this has always included paralegals. Read more about BARBRI’s funding initiatives here.
“We highlighted early on that this was a group that could benefit significantly from the SQE’s introduction, especially as they can bank their existing experience to satisfy the Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) requirement and are no longer restricted by the Training Contract requirements. But on a practical level, we understand that there are still time and financial restraints placed upon them, so we want to support firms, in-house teams, and individuals to make this a more accessible option.”
BARBRI has built collaborative relationships with third-party organisations to help provide the solution. This includes Flex Legal, an online platform built to support paralegal professionals, where over 5,000 paralegals can access scholarships and discounted fees for BARBRI SQE Prep. The learning provider has also partnered with in-house teams, including LexisNexis, to launch a paralegal trainee programme alongside international law firm Pinsent Masons. This new career pathway allows paralegals from LexisNexis to access practical and supervised legal training at Pinsent Masons while undertaking their SQE Prep with BARBRI.
Lucie continues: “We appreciate the vital role that paralegals play within any team. They are an asset to the profession and with the introduction of the SQE, the doors are now open for them to qualify more easily, should they wish to. We’re proud to play our part in supporting them do so.”
BARBRI has introduced a variety of course lengths for its SQE1 Prep course, with its 20-week or 10-week courses recommended for paralegal candidates thanks to their existing knowledge and industry experience. BARBRI also has payment options available with this audience in mind. As a result, in the last 12 months alone, nearly 300 paralegals have taken their SQE Prep with BARBRI, 61 of which have reported passing both SQE1 and SQE2 assessments.
Winners of the National Paralegal Awards 2023 will be crowned at a live awards ceremony hosted on 14 September at the Grand Hotel in Birmingham. For more information, please visit: https://nationalparalegalawards.com/