Serious Injury Paralegal - Southampton

Southampton | Full time | Permanent | Hybrid | Top 100 firm

Serious injury is one of the few areas where paralegal work is genuinely substantive. Cases run for years, the medical and evidential detail is significant, and the client relationship matters enormously.

RecQuest is recruiting a Paralegal for the Serious Injury team of a Top 100 firm with a national reputation for catastrophic injury and clinical negligence work. This is not document review.

The Role

• Supporting fee earners on catastrophic injury and clinical negligence claims

• Obtaining and organising medical records and expert evidence

• Liaising with clients, families, medical experts and case managers

• Preparing schedules, chronologies and court documentation

• Managing file organisation across long running matters

• Supporting clients through rehabilitation and interim payment processes

About You

• Previous paralegal or legal support experience (essential)

• Personal injury or clinical negligence background (desirable)

• Organised and methodical with substantial volumes of documentation

• Sensitive and patient with clients and families in very difficult circumstances

• A law degree or CILEX study is useful, though experience matters more

Why Consider It

• A Top 100 claimant practice with a genuine progression route from paralegal to qualification

• Workload culture built around sustainability, with fee earners averaging around five and a half chargeable hours a day

• Nationally significant work from a Southampton base

If you are considering your next step, our guide on how to write a legal CV covers what firms look for at this level.

All conversations are strictly confidential. To discuss this role, or the personal injury market across Hampshire, contact Ben Holtom at RecQuest.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a serious injury paralegal do?

A serious injury paralegal supports solicitors running catastrophic injury and clinical negligence claims. The work involves obtaining and organising medical records, instructing and liaising with expert witnesses, preparing chronologies and schedules of loss, drafting court documentation, and staying in contact with clients and families across cases that often run for several years.

What salary can a paralegal expect in Southampton?

Paralegal salaries in Southampton typically range from around £24,500 to £34,000 depending on experience and practice area. Serious injury and clinical negligence paralegals generally sit at the upper end, reflecting the technical demands and the length of the cases.

Do I need personal injury experience specifically?

It is preferred but not essential. Solid paralegal experience from another litigation discipline, combined with a genuine interest in claimant work, would be considered. What cannot be trained is the temperament for dealing with badly injured clients and their families.

Is there a route to qualification?

Yes. Larger claimant practices routinely support paralegals through SQE or CILEX, and serious injury teams in particular tend to develop people internally because the technical knowledge takes years to build.

What is the working pattern?

Hybrid working is available, with Southampton as the primary base. The firm sets chargeable hours targets deliberately to protect balance, which is unusual in claimant work.