PI insurance

As you are aware, the PPR spent many months working with Insync to secure an appropriately worded cover for Paralegals at a reasonable cost.

The uptake by our members to use this scheme has been lower than anticipated and therefore you may have received an automated e mail from Insync about your renewal.

Please be aware that Insync are brokers that work on our behalf and therefore can still assist you.

For any further assistance please contact Callum Goulding, Senior Developer at Insync, at [email protected] and he will be delighted to assist you

Review of Legal Services Regulation - Thoughts for the unregulated

In May, this year the Ministry of Justice confirmed that it was not intending to change the structure of legal services regulation. Justice minister Alex Chalk MP said in a parliamentary paper there were ‘no plans’ to review the framework which is built around the Legal Services Act 2007. This statement was made in spite of the fact that Professor Stephen Mason, UCL, had yet to publish the final report on The Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation. After almost two years of research, three working papers and numerous consultations, it would appear that the MoJ had jumped the gun. Indeed, the interim report, published in September last year, indicated quite strongly that the regulatory landscape was not fit for purpose and needed a major overhaul. The Legal Services Act was not intended for today’s innovation within the legal sector and leaves little room to enable new technology to be taken under the regulatory wing. Statutory restrictions have prevented the regulatory framework to adapt to a more diverse legal service provision. The final report that was published in June this year and sets out a series of proposals, which could provide both short term and long- term reform. Currently we are in a state of ‘all’ or ‘nothing’, with some legal service providers being left out in the cold, whilst others suffer the burden of ‘Title Based’ regulation opposed to ‘Activity Based’ regulation, that it can be argued to be eminently more sensible. The key points for the unregulated providers to take note, is that reform is inevitable, and there is a new call to bring the unregulated into the framework in the short-term. If the framework is developed in relation to ‘activities’ then willwriters and paralegals should think very carefully about being left out, if they do not adjust to new criteria that will undoubtedly be forthcoming in relation to (a) categorising the risk of certain activities (will writing has already been muted to ‘high risk’) and (b) ensuring that providers of ‘activites’, meet the new standards of competency whatever they may be. The report does however highlight and more importantly recognise that there is an independent voluntary regulator, the Professional Paralegal Register (PPR), who acts as a regulator for all those offering legal services outside the regulated professions. The way forward for the unregulated sector is to provide a united front and organisations who are interested in protecting the unregulated sector are advised to contact the PPR. To find out more about the Professional Paralegal Register visit www.ppr.org.uk

Sir Robin Knowles, CBE awarded with PPR Outstanding Achievement Award 2020

The Professional Paralegal Register is delighted to announce that the PPR Outstanding Achievement Award was given to Sir Robin Knowles, CBE at the National Paralegal Awards virtual ceremony on Friday 18 September.  The award was given in recognition of Sir Robin’s life- long commitment to the legal profession, continuing work on access to justice for those without means and promoting a diverse legal sector where the Paralegal Profession plays an important role.

Sir Robin was involved in rewriting the Commercial Court Guide as part of the Woolf Reforms. He was a member of the Aikens working party on “supercases”. With Sir William Blair, he worked successfully to secure the new Queen’s Counsel system. With others, he led work to bring about the Rolls Building – the world’s largest dedicated business dispute resolution centre.

Commenting at the virtual award ceremony: 

“Paralegals comprise of one of the second largest sectors of the legal profession and paralegals providing legal services have a collective effort to improve access to justice.   Paralegals should seize the opportunity to come together to act within the public interest and commit to providing services pro bono”.  Sir Robin said that if just 10% of paralegals contributed personally, collectively and collaboratively it would be the greatest single step forward for access to justice in a decade. 

Sir Robin Knowles laid down the gauntlet to the PPR and called upon paralegals to task Rita Leat, Managing Director of the PPR and Chief Executive of the Institute of Paralegals to present to the Civil Justice Council forum in December what the Paralegal sector pledge to do pro bono to give those without means access to justice. 

Over 500 tuned in to the awards ceremony.  To watch a playback of the virtual event visit https://youtu.be/tvGchIOFqbY 

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Notes to editors 

The Professional Paralegal Register

The Professional Paralegal Register (PPR) is a voluntary registered scheme to promote professional paralegals as a recognised fourth arm of the legal profession and to enhance consumer choice and protection.  Only Paralegals that are on this register are regulated by PPR.

Employers and consumers can be assured that those individuals on the register meet the required standards of both the individual’s recognised membership body and the robust criteria set by the PPR. 

Paralegals who are on the Register are regulated in terms of their professional conduct however, Professional Paralegals who hold a Paralegal Practising Certificate (PPC) are fully regulated to offer legal services to consumers.

For further comment, please contact:

Rita Leat, Managing Director, The Professional Paralegal Register 
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0203 039 3710 

The Professional Paralegal Register is looking for a new Chair of the Register Regulatory Committee

The Professional Paralegal Register (‘PPR’) is a voluntary regulatory scheme for paralegals. We are recruiting a new Chair to the Register Regulatory Committee (‘RRC’ or the ‘Committee’) to take forward the expansion of the PPR under the umbrella of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (‘CILEX’). CILEX acquired the PPR in January 2023.

We are looking to appoint a new Chair to ensure the work of the Committee is undertaken in accordance with all applicable regulatory rules. The Chair will offer critical and innovative insight into how we can best develop and will play a vital role in the direction and development of a national paralegal register.

We are looking for a confident leader with experience of chairing boards or committees. Applicants will ideally have complaints handling, adjudication, and/or arbitration experience. We also welcome applicants with regulatory experience, particularly relating to the regulation of legal or other professionals.

Your leadership will also ensure other members of the RRC are engaged and valued within our organisation.

The Chair is appointed on a voluntary basis. Meetings of the RRC normally take place online. However, reasonable travel expenses can be claimed in relation to any necessary travel.

Please provide a covering letter explaining why you are interested in becoming our Chair and the skills and experience you would bring to the role. Suitable applicants will be interviewed via Zoom by a panel consisting of the current Chair and members of the RRC. The deadline for applications is 21 November, and interviews will take place on 1 December 2023, time TBC.

Please send covering letters to the Professional Paralegal Register by email at [email protected].