HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

How to hire a paralegal in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Paralegals cannot do reserved legal work. Here is what they can do, what to check instead of a register, and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a paralegal in five steps

  1. Define the taskA form, a letter before claim, a tribunal bundle or a small claim.
  2. Check it is not reserved workConducting litigation and court advocacy need an authorised person.
  3. Ask about insurance and membershipProfessional indemnity cover and any voluntary body.
  4. Get the fee in writingFixed for the task, or hourly with an estimate.
  5. Know how to complainParalegals have no ombudsman like solicitors; agree a complaints route.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No statutory register covers paralegals in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and they are not regulated like solicitors. Any membership of a paralegal body is voluntary.

Ask the paralegal for insurance details, experience with your task and a reference.

Reserved legal activities

The Legal Services Act 2007 reserves rights of audience, conducting litigation, reserved instrument activities, probate activities, notarial activities and administering oaths to authorised persons in England and Wales. A paralegal may help you prepare, but not do these for you.

Ask the paralegal to confirm in writing which parts you or a solicitor must do. legislation.gov.uk →

Solicitor or paralegal?

The SRA register shows who is a solicitor. Someone who is not on it should not describe themselves as one.

Search the name on the SRA register if anything they say suggests they are a solicitor. sra.org.uk →

Insurance and data

Without the protections that come with a regulated firm, insurance matters more. Your case papers are personal data, which must be kept secure, and the ICO fee usually applies.

Ask for the insurer's name and how your papers are stored. gov.uk →

VAT

Paralegal services are standard-rated, so a registered paralegal adds 20% to the fixed fee or hours, for each document prepared. Registration becomes compulsory once a paralegal has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the paralegal for the VAT number with the engagement terms and for the fee and VAT shown separately. gov.uk →

“What exactly will the paralegal do, and what must I or a solicitor do?”

A good answer: A written split that respects the reserved activities.

“Do you hold professional indemnity insurance?”

A good answer: An insurer's name and the cover.

“Have you, as a paralegal, prepared this kind of document before?”

A good answer: Examples, anonymised, and outcomes.

“Is the paralegal fee fixed for the task?”

A good answer: A fixed price, or an hourly rate with an estimate.

“How will the paralegal handle complaints?”

A good answer: A written process, since there is no legal ombudsman for paralegals.

“Will you help me with the court or tribunal procedure?”

A good answer: Guidance on steps and deadlines, with you or a solicitor taking the formal steps.

“How will you keep my papers confidential?”

A good answer: Secure storage and deletion when the work ends.

Getting the quote right

  • The task and the documents to be prepared
  • Who actually attends to the documents: the paralegal you instructed, or a subcontracted colleague
  • Fixed fee or hourly rate with an estimate
  • What you must do yourself, such as filing or attending
  • Court or tribunal fees, which are separate
  • Insurance and complaints process
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on the paralegal's fee, listed apart from court fees

Walk away if

  • Offers to represent you in court as if a solicitor
  • Calls themselves a solicitor but is not on a register
  • No insurance
  • No written scope
  • Large upfront payment
  • Promises a result
LOW
£40
TYPICAL
£80
HIGH
£142

What a paralegal costs: £40–£142 per hour

Paralegals charge by the hour or a fixed fee per task; court fees are separate. Paralegal price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Paralegals near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. ScopeThe task and its limits agreed in writing.
  2. InformationYour papers and facts gathered.
  3. DraftingForms, letters or bundles prepared.
  4. ReviewYou check and approve.
  5. Next stepsProcedure and deadlines explained for you to act on.

Paralegal
A legally trained person who is not a solicitor or barrister.
Reserved legal activity
Legal work only authorised persons may do in England and Wales.
Letter before claim
A formal letter setting out a claim before court action.
Bundle
The organised set of documents for a hearing.
Litigant in person
Someone acting for themselves in court.
Professional indemnity insurance
Cover for losses caused by professional mistakes.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep every documentDrafts, final versions and correspondence.
Diary the deadlinesCourt or tribunal dates the paralegal explained.
Get your papers backOriginals returned at the end.
Review the jobA few honest lines about the paralegal help other people decide. If you are unhappy, start the make-it-right step and give them the chance to fix it.

STEP 1Set it out for the paralegalWrite down what you expected from the paralegal and what you actually received, and send it. Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the job needed reasonable care and skill; if it lacked them, sections 55 and 56 let you ask for it redone or for a refund of part of the price.
STEP 2Locufy's make-it-right stepAny score below four stars opens the make-it-right step: the paralegal hears about the problem first, and we follow it through before the review appears.
STEP 3Trading StandardsThere is no ombudsman for paralegals. Advisers at Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133, England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262, Northern Ireland) can explain your rights against the paralegal and pass the case to Trading Standards.
STEP 4A small claim for the moneyA claim against the paralegal can go, without a solicitor, to the small claims track in England and Wales (up to £10,000), simple procedure in Scotland (up to £5,000) or the small claims court in Northern Ireland (up to £5,000).

Hiring a paralegal: questions people ask

No. There is no statutory register for paralegals; voluntary memberships exist.

In England and Wales, reserved legal activities such as conducting litigation and exercising rights of audience.

Usually, for defined tasks such as forms and bundles.

Roughly £40–£142 per hour, typically £80. The task, experience and whether a firm bills the time set the rate. The paralegal price guide shows what sits behind each figure; type your town above to find paralegals in your area.

Use the agreed complaints route and your consumer rights; there is no legal ombudsman for paralegals.

From an hour for a single document to several days across a case.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in business & professional

How to hire: SolicitorHow to hire: Employment Law SolicitorHow to hire: Family Law SolicitorHow to hire: Wills & ProbateHow to hire: Conveyancing SolicitorHow to hire: Notary PublicHow to hire: Immigration LawyerHow to hire: HR ConsultantAll 701 hiring guides →

Paralegals near you

Paralegals in LondonParalegals in ManchesterParalegals in BirminghamParalegals in GlasgowParalegals in BelfastAll paralegals on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Legal Services Act 2007, section 12 — reserved legal activities
  2. SRA — the Solicitors Register
  3. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register