Course Profile | Your Inside Look at the NALP Level 3 Diploma
Part 1: Exploring Paralegal Practice
The legal sector offers a wealth of interesting and lucrative career choices for talented, qualified individuals! Maybe you’re thinking about entering the legal sector for the first time, or maybe you have some paralegal experience and are looking to advance your career. Either way, NALP’s Level 3 Diploma in Paralegal Practice is a great way to learn about UK law and gain your first qualification in a legal field!
The Level 3 course is designed to give you the skills you need to enter the legal services industry with confidence. Designed for learners ages 16 and up, the course covers nine units, two of which are mandatory for completion.
These units, ‘Introduction to Law for Paralegals’ and ‘Legal Ethics and Responsibilities for Paralegals’, provide a firm grounding in the fundamentals of paralegal work. In the first unit, you will learn about the different kinds of law and how laws are made. This section covers the principles behind contract law (laws about formal agreements) and tort law (laws about compensating harm and loss). It also teaches you the different methods of dispute resolution.
The second unit covers your responsibilities toward your client and proper ethical conduct for a paralegal. By the time you finish it, you’ll know how to conduct an effective, efficient client interview and how to draft a client’s communications (such as legal letters). These are very important skills for a paralegal which not only form the basis of your everyday skill-set but serve to legally protect you and your client.
By the time you’ve completed these introductory classes, you will have a solid understanding of the scope and obligations of a paralegal’s work. But don’t go rushing off to start your career just yet! More advanced units follow, covering a wide range of topics that will be essential to your work as a paralegal.
Keep an eye out for our next blog post, which will explain what you can expect from each of these units. You can also check out the course page here for more info! To be continued…