Description
The course is well suited for:
- Individuals interested in pursuing a career as a paralegal.
- Students considering a career in law.
- Law and legal studies students who would like to enhance their practical workplace skills.
- Individuals interested in working in a solicitor’s office, legal department or legal services environment.
- Legal secretaries and administrative staff seeking to expand their legal
knowledge.
No previous knowledge of the law is needed in order to apply for this course.
Course overview
The aim of the Paralegal Training Course is to give students actual workplace training relating to the Irish legal profession along with legal knowledge and legal administration abilities. The Irish legal system’s structure and the functions of solicitors, barristers, paralegals, legal secretaries, and other legal professionals will be explained to the students. Practical abilities in legal research, legal correspondence, document preparation, case administration, legal terminology, confidentiality, professional behaviour, and practice management will all be developed during the course.
Course Modules
- Introduction to the Legal Profession
- Structure of the Irish Courts
- General Legal Procedures
- Legal Research Skills & Methods
- Introduction to Criminal Law
- Legal Ethics & Professional Conduct
- Tribunals & Other Legal Bodies
- Alternative Dispute Resolution & Arbitration
- ICT Skills & Legal Case Management
- Family Law
- Legal Documentation & Drafting
- Forms of Address & Conveyancing
- Career Progression & Examination Preparation
Course Duration
12 weeks, with 10 weeks of teaching and 2 weeks of revision and examination
Accreditations / Awards
Upon completion the student will receive CPD level 3 diploma in family law (Continuing professional development)
Learning Aims & Objectives / Outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Explain the roles of key professionals within the Irish legal profession.
- Identify the principal courts within the Irish judicial system.
- Distinguish between civil and criminal proceedings.
- Explain how cases progress through the Irish courts.
- Understand common legal terminology and documentation.
- Conduct basic legal research using appropriate legal information sources.
- Understand the difference between primary and secondary legal sources.
- Use legal research platforms such as Westlaw, LexisNexis and BAILII where access is available.
- Draft professional legal correspondence.
- Prepare basic legal attendances and case notes.
- Understand principles of confidentiality and data protection.
- Recognise conflicts of interest within legal practice.
- Understand basic legal billing and client-account procedures.
- Develop professional telephone and note-taking skills.
- Understand fundamental legal-ethical responsibilities.
- Develop practical ICT skills relevant to legal practice.
- Understand the basic operation of legal case-management and practice-management systems.
- Explain the basic principles of criminal and family law.
- Understand the role of tribunals and other legal bodies.
- Explain the principal forms of alternative dispute resolution.
- Understand the basic principles of arbitration and mediation.
- Identify different types of legal documents.
- Prepare basic case briefs.
- Develop basic legal drafting skills.
- Understand the importance of correct forms of address when communicating with legal professionals and courts.
- Understand fundamental principles of conveyancing and land law.
- Apply legal knowledge to practical workplace scenarios.
- Develop professional skills relevant to entry-level paralegal employment.
Course Delivery
In person/ online
Schedule
Duration: 12 weeks
Classes: once per week
Class time: 2 Hours
Day: Wednesdays 3.30pm (provisional day)
Entry requirements
- Leaving certificate
- Sufficient English-language proficiency
- No previous legal knowledge required.
