We invite you to consider the opportunity to partner with the Law Society of Scotland to introduce a new, online paralegal qualification for paralegals across and outwith Scotland.
Key facts
- 12,200 practising solicitors
- 560 accredited paralegals with another estimated 3,500 working in the sector who self-identify as paralegals
- There are around 1,100 firms
- The sector contributes c£1.5bn to the Scottish economy.
Opportunity
Paralegal qualifications in Scotland are currently offered by other organisations but not the Law Society of Scotland. We do not approve or accredit any paralegal course provider.
Accredited Paralegals are seen as a key part of our membership growth strategy. Our own paralegal course would enable us to clearly demonstrate to Scottish paralegals their value to us by setting out a clear career progression trajectory that is transferable between employers.
With technology changing the work of paralegals the market will become increasingly competitive driving up demand for formal qualifications and accredited status. Therefore, we are keen to take a more active role in the professional development of paralegals from an earlier stage.
We are therefore seeking an exclusive educational partner to develop and introduce a Law Society of Scotland paralegal course in early 2022. It is of course possible that a successful tender party may be able to truncate this timeframe and we would remain open to discussing that. We are also keen to explore whether we can develop a modern apprenticeship for paralegals through this tender. We envisage our paralegal courses will be tailored to provide skills to fulfil the criteria laid out in the Accredited Paralegal Accreditation. The initial focus would be on Scots Law but in time we would be looking to use the global brand of the Society to offer material outwith Scotland to other jurisdictions, such as England and Wales and further afield.
Submitting a tender
We invite creative and innovative tenders from educational institutions within Scotland who can assist us creating this entirely online course. We would anticipate receiving a proposal that includes:
- Profile of institution
- Preferred commercial model
- Costs and income projections
- Risk management
- Timeline.
The deadline for submitting a tender proposal is 9am on Monday 14 June 2021. Tender proposals should be submitted via email to [email protected]. Please do NOT send any proposals in the post as they may not be seen.
