Problem outline
The number of courses in Legal Practice at the Flemish Colleges is growing and graduated paralegals are easily placed in the labour market. However, employers and paralegals still have many questions about the exact position of paralegals on the labour market: Who exactly is this Flemish paralegal? For which jobs are they suitable? What tasks can they perform? What is the difference with a bachelor in law?
It is clear that as a relatively new professional group in Flanders, legal professionals do not yet have a clear professional profile. As a result, they suffer from a lack of appreciation, professional identity and pride in their profession. Employers, too, know too little about paralegals to value them sufficiently.
This leads to the central research question of this study: What is the position of the Flemish legal practitioner in the legal professional field?
Research approach
Hogeschool Vives has already conducted research on the profile and professional role of the Flemish paralegal in 2014. To make the results representative and up-to-date, more extensive research on a Flemish scale is needed. All Flemish university colleges offering the Legal Practice programme will collaborate on this extensive research to map the course of the paralegal's job formation.
It is a two-year research project. During the first project year, all colleges will take a closer look at the employee's side by conducting a large-scale online survey (quantitative) among alumni of the Law Practice programme. The questionnaire will focus on the following aspects: job title and job description, range of tasks (administrative, legal, linguistic, organizational, ...), job satisfaction and career development. During the 2nd project year, the employer's side will be studied.
The results of all research phases will appear on the website www.rechtspracticus.be.