Much of the work done within solicitors' practices is carried out by part qualified  staff. These staff - who are fee earners in their own right - are known as  paralegals and have an increasingly important role especially in view of the  Legal Services Act which allows for solicitors to form partnerships with non-  solicitors from October 2011. This means that many of the smaller traditional firms may disappear if they  cannot remain competitive and so once again the face of the High Street may  change with small firms of solicitors joining other, once familiar, but now sadly  long vanished sights like the traditional greengrocer and butcher. In their place  expect  to see Tesco Law or Sainsbury's solicitors. It is very likely that many of these new entities will be carefully monitoring their  costs and in order to remain economically viable will be using part qualified  (Paralegal) staff supervised by fully qualified staff. You may be aware if you have been unfortunate enough to have suffered a  personal injury or motor car accident that the majority of the staff dealing with  such matters are paralegals. Their charge out rate is significantly less than their  supervising solicitor but is still usually in the region of £140.00 per hour. Whilst you should realise that this course is not designed to be a conventional  route to becoming a solicitor or barrister it is a very worthwhile foundation for a  useful and productive career as a fee earner. There are several further advanced courses available recognised and endorsed by the SRA and conducted through  law colleges.  As is often the case academic success is not enough by itself to ensure a  successful career. One needs to demonstrate other skills and in this respect we believe our course  will help you.  If you wish to become fully qualified in the future this course coupled with some  relevant experience will be advantageous. Although not part of the course, the course will identify various routes into  membership of The Institute of Legal Executives and other conventional routes  to becoming a solicitor, solicitor advocate or barrister, although once again it  should be stressed that our objective is to provide you with a sound  understanding and practical experience of the role of a paralegal and not provide legal career guidance. Some students choose to become self employed as legal advisors and this  route- although subject to some restrictions (for example not being able to hold  clients account money) - may prove to be more rewarding and achievable than  conventional employment.  © The Paralegal Academy 2011.