Gala Final

The paralegal community from across the country came together at the event, which this year was held at the Grand Hotel in Birmingham to mark the outstanding achievements of both UK firms and individuals. Mrs Rita Leat was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award reflecting her commitment to the paralegal profession and access to justice.

Rita Leat commented: “I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive the outstanding achievement award. Throughout my career in the legal sector I have striven to improve the status of paralegals - re-writing the competency standards and bringing in robust regulation through the formation of the PPR.

“Paralegals are the backbone of our legal services sector and there is a greater demand now than ever before. As the founder of the NPAs, I am delighted to see so many paralegals celebrating their achievements here today.

“There is still much to do to bring more recognition to the paralegal profession and I look forward to watching the sector grow under CILEX’s direction.”

Linda Ford CEO of CILEX, which acquired the Institute of Paralegals (IoP) and the PPR earlier this year, said: “Paralegals play an increasingly vital role in the delivery of legal services and these awards recognise their hard work and achievements. This was an important opportunity to celebrate paralegals across the country who, like national paralegal award winner Philip Nam, are doing great work, and employers such as Mewburn Ellis and Pinsent Masons Vario, firms which are providing workplaces where paralegals can thrive, develop and build their careers.

“I’d also like to pay tribute to outstanding achievement award winner Rita Leat who has done so much for the paralegal profession, through her work on paralegal qualifications, in modernising the IoP and founding the PPR. She has been a true champion of the profession, representing paralegals and their interests during a time when their role in legal services has grown increasingly important. She has created a significant legacy.”

The award winners list in full can be found here.