A paralegal is like a secretary or administrative assistant but in the legal world, they do a lot more. A paralegal’s duties include conducting research on legal cases, drafting court documents, filing documents with court clerks, preparing affidavits, acting as legal correspondence between lawyers and clients, summarizing records etc.
Can a paralegal become a lawyer in South Africa?
If you are a paralegal in South Africa and want to change into a lawyer, follow my process as everyone else. But this is a lot easier because you already have the added advantage of hands-on experience in the principles and law frameworks taught in law school. There are several requirements to becoming a lawyer in South Africa.
You need a law degree
The first step to realizing your dreams as a lawyer, you will have to enrol in a reputable and accredited law college and complete a four years bachelor’s program. At the end of the program, you will receive an LLB degree.
An alternative to this is getting a Bachelor of Commerce with Law, and then finishing up with a two-year LLB program. It will take you five years to earn your law degree instead of four years.
Real-World Experience
Many paralegals have an easy time navigating real-world law practice because of their years of experience in law firms. The law requires mandatory practice at a law firm, state attorney’s office or legal organisation for all prospective attorneys. If you have been a paralegal for at least five years, you may have to do this for a year or 3 years.
Attorneys’ Admission Exam
The next hurdle to becoming a lawyer is to pass the attorneys’ admission exams. You must pass this exam because your passing will make it legal for you to practice law in any capacity in the country. The exams will be on legal practices and procedures, rules of conduct, legal bookkeeping etc. We expect you to ace this because you have come across these areas through your years as a paralegal. You will take the attorneys’ admission exams at the end of your real-world legal experience or after you have completed a practical legal training course.
Other statutory requirements include;
Undergoing a moral/psychological fitness test to see if you can handle what comes with being a lawyer
Be interviewed and screened by a respected member of the Law Society
