South Africa's legal services sector depends on a cadre of skilled, knowledgeable support professionals — Paralegals — who extend the capacity of attorneys and legal departments by performing a wide range of legal research, documentation, and administrative functions. The Paralegal occupational qualification at NQF Level 5 equips learners with the legal knowledge, research skills, and professional competencies needed to fulfil this important support role in legal practices, corporate legal departments, government legal services, and community law centres.
The curriculum covers the core dimensions of paralegal practice: understanding South African legal principles, court procedures, and the constitutional and legislative framework, conducting legal research using primary and secondary sources, drafting legal documents including contracts, affidavits, pleadings, and correspondence under supervision, managing legal files and records, supporting the preparation of matters for court or arbitration, communicating professionally with clients, courts, and other parties, and observing the ethical obligations that apply in legal support roles.
