Solicitors Delegating Child Care Work to Paralegals

Thu, 15 Apr 2010

An increasing number of unqualified paralegal staff are being used to represent local authorities, according to a recent article in the Gazette. The Baby P case and the introduction of the Public Law Outline has resulted in a considerable increase in the amount of child care cases being presented to law firms, though a shortage of child care solicitors has meant some of the work is being delegated to paralegals . Legal firms and lawyers can shift the work onto the paralegals under powers granted to them by the Local Government Act 1972, though there are fears that the quality of representation may be suffering as a result.

Principal lawyer for North Yorkshire County Council, George Eddon, suggested that high legal costs may be to blame. While respected child care solicitors have been able to charge higher legal fees with the onset of the increased demand, meaning legal firms who make use of paralegals are becoming more affordable to local councils.

Uma Mehta, chair of the Law Society’s children law sub-committee, insisted that the trend was not a problem, claiming that law firms only use those paralegals with sufficient experience in a field.
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