A Day in The Life of a Family Law Paralegal

Ever wanted to know what the life of a paralegal was like? Slater + Gordon’s very own family law paralegal, Pooja Patel, gives us a sneak peek as to what the exciting job role entails and what it takes to get there.

Here’s the first in a series looking at exciting opportunities for anyone pursuing a career in law.

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Transcript:

My name is Pooja Patel. I am a paralegal in the family team at Slater + Gordon.
Please follow me. So, it’s 9.15 in the morning and I’ve just got in so I’m going to check all my emails to ensure I’m ready for the day.
I’ve been at Slater + Gordon for nearly 3 years. I started off as a legal assistant in the personal injury team, moving up to a legal adviser in personal injury, then moving onto employment law as a legal assistant and now I’m a paralegal in the family team.
So, a client has instructed us to commence divorce proceedings, therefore, I will be drafting the divorce petition on behalf of the client. I will also have to prepare court bundles. The court bundles are necessary for a judge to rely on at the hearing. I will be sending these to the court today as the hearing is next week.
My day as a paralegal in the family team varies on a day to day basis, I regularly draft applications and court documents, as well as preparing court bundles. My favourite part of the job is helping lawyers achieve a favourable outcome for the clients, especially when they’re in distress and an emotional situation.
I am going to file some documentation in readiness for an upcoming hearing next week.
Even though I’ve been in family for quite a while I still enjoy learning new aspects of the role and coming across elements of family which I haven’t come across before. Family law in particular has always been at the back of my mind whilst studying law. I believe it’s an area of law where you need some form of compassion and sort of empathy towards clients who are going through a very hard time in their life. The family law team I’m a part of are extremely supportive, happy and extremely supportive in my career progression, as well as being really friendly and approachable.
I will be going to the central family court and it’s based in Holborn. We’re currently on high Holborn where central family court is based. Central family court will take the documentation and pass it onto a judge in readiness for an upcoming hearing.
Client meetings are really important, especially face to face because it helps build a relationship with the client from the offset.
My advice to anyone considering a career in law or as a paralegal would be, to consider their options in terms of the various areas of law at an early stage as working in practice is slightly different to university.
I’ve now finished for the day and I feel really happy as I have achieved everything that I intended to achieve. My next step in my career would be to qualify as a family lawyer within Slater + Gordon and continue developing my knowledge and skills.