4 mins read
National Paralegal Day is about celebrating paralegals across the English and Welsh legal system. As many of our former students have gone on to forge careers as successful paralegals, we thought it would be a good idea to chat with one of them and celebrate their career.
Edited by Grant Longstaff. Published 3 November 2026.
What is a paralegal?
Paralegals play an important role across the legal industry, providing vital support to a range of legal professionals. The role often offers a variety of work, covering everything from drafting documents and managing client communication to supporting lawyers in court, and some paralegals may specialise in a particular area of the law.
We spoke with Aleena Gheorghe, a paralegal at Kesar & Co Solicitors and current student on our MA Law (SQE1), about the work she does, her advice for others looking to become a paralegal and how her role has improved her studies. Read on for more.
What type of work do you do as a paralegal?
I currently work in two areas of law, discrimination and claims against public authorities. I get to draft letters, from client care letters at the beginning of the case through to letters before actions when a case progresses to that stage. I also peruse documents and records for relevant information and update the clients on our findings. I’m quite lucky as I get to assist when cases reach the litigation stage too, so I get to prepare legal aid applications, draft briefs for counsel and/or experts and also prepare witness statements.
What does a day in your role as a paralegal look like?
I usually get to the office between nine and nine thirty. I catch up on my emails first and discuss with my supervisor if anything has come up that needs to be dealt with urgently. I like to have my to do list prepared the day before, so I can start working as soon as I get in. If any documents need to be read, I usually like to get that done in the morning and keep the drafting for the afternoon. A lot of the clients I work with are in prison, so while I’m doing my work I usually receive calls from clients wanting to discuss any updates in their matter too.
What advice would you give to students looking for paralegal work?
You probably hear this all the time, but you just have to keep going. It took me ten months of consistently applying for roles for me to find my first paralegal role.
Use The University of Law services available as much as you can. I used the CV review option from the Employability Service whilst I was applying and again before the interview for my current role. I booked a session to discuss the interview with someone. After the interview I received feedback that I sounded very confident throughout. I think this had a lot to do with the support I received from the Employability Service. So definitely reach out if you need support.
What are some of the benefits you've found to working as a paralegal?
When I was doing the PGDL modules, I found that my grades went up after I started working as a paralegal. I think working in the sector and seeing how the law applies in real life scenarios made it easier to understand course materials. Now, as I am preparing for the SQE, I find that for a lot of the practical subjects like dispute resolution, legal services and ethics I’m already familiar with the content as it’s something that I come across every day, so it makes it easier to revise.
If you’re interested in becoming a paralegal you can find out more on our career finder pages, including the courses we offer which will best support your ambitions.
