Working in the shadows of professionalism: An investigation into the career experiences and dynamics of paraprofessionals

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This project extends knowledge on the career dynamics and experiences of paraprofessionals, while aiming to contribute to their career outcomes and meaning making. In modern societies, people seek meaning at work through their careers. This can be embedded in the pursuit of a calling, the realisation of authentic selves or feelings of success and status. While career scholars have investigated the career experiences of many occupations, this study focuses on paraprofessionals. Paraprofessionals are defined as persons "to whom a particular aspect of a professional task is delegated but who is not licensed to practise as a fully qualified professional" (Oxford Dictionary, 2015). They include nurses, support staff in the academic profession and, this study's focus, paralegals in the legal industry. What distinguishes paraprofessionals from their professional counterparts is their lack of professional status. One way how professionals obtain status, and hence meaning, is through established career trajectories. However, paraprofessionals have remained excluded from these. In addition, it is assumed that their work gives them little room for personal development or advancement. Often tasks are considered to be mundane and repetitive. Hence, characteristics that we associate as providing meaning in our careers do not seem to apply to paraprofessionals. So what does the concept of the career represent to them and where do they find meaning?Paralegals make up 54,000 of the legal workforce in England and Wales, more than the combined number of solicitors and barristers. Hence they significantly contribute to legal work. Yet, to date they have remained in the shadows of those with professional status as academic research has focused on understanding the experiences of lawyers and barristers. Until recently, paralegals were excluded from professional career trajectories if they do not have a training contract. While many aspire to become professional solicitors, this has presented a barrier to their career mobility. In 2014, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) introduced the 'equivalent means scheme' as an alternative career path built on practical experience rather than educational qualification. Yet, given the timeliness, its effect still remains little understood. This multi-method study aims to provide understanding of the career dynamics and experiences of paraprofessionals, particularly paralegals, by interviewing paralegals, lawyers, HR professionals, professional bodies and clients. A qualitative methodology was chosen that combines data collection techniques, ensuring the academic rigour of the study:- Part 1 investigates the career experiences of paralegals in law firms and alternative business structures (ABS) across England. 50 participants will be interviewed and through an innovate arts-based methodology, drawings of their experiences will be collected to uncover the felt experiences. - Part 2 captures the narratives of 10 members of representative bodies to illuminate their perceptions of paralegal work and ongoing initiatives aimed at improving career prospects. It particularly seeks to understand if there is a conflict for professional associations in protecting professional standards while opening up career trajectories. - Part 3 provides knowledge on organisational and social dynamics. A comparative study of 3 law firms will analyse the influence of organisational practices on paralegal careers. In addition, by interviewing 30 paralegals, law firm partners, solicitors, HR professionals and clients, it investigates the underpinning social dynamics. The implications of this study could be transformative to paraprofessionals and the professions generally, as well as paralegals and the legal profession specifically. The research will make important contributions to knowledge by pushing disciplinary and methodological boundaries as well as having significant impact for non-academic audiences.