Every Client Matters: Life as a Family Law Paralegal
Seven months ago, I joined GT Stewart Solicitors as a paralegal in the Leeds Office Family Law team. GT Stewart's reputation, including its rankings in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners, is what first drew me to the firm. What has kept me excited is how seriously the firm takes developing its people. The support i have had to grow here has been both reassuring and highly valued. This article will address some of what I have learned, including strategies for supporting vulnerable clients and increasing local outreach, and how i foresee my continued growth.
Working With Vulnerable Clients
People are rarely at their best when they seek help with a family law matter. They may be frightened, exhausted, grieving or afraid of someone close to them. Some are also neurodivergent, have trauma histories or have communication needs that nobody has yet recognised. As a paralegal, I contact clients in a range of settings and by range of methods, and this has taught me how small adjustments can really matter. Some clients want a direct, factual approach, while others need information given more slowly and in context. Whether I am on the telephone, at an in-person meeting or at a court hearing, my communication is deliberate, its impact considered.
The University of Bath's 2026 guidance, Autism in Court: Practical Guidance for Autistic Court Users, provides useful insights. It explains how autistic court users can struggle with fast-paced proceedings, jargon, sensory overload and verbal-only communication. It also notes that people in both family and criminal proceedings may agree with a leading question simply to avoid conflict. Three points from the guidance that have stayed with me are:
Put things in writing. An email or written summary following a client interaction costs practitioners little but can provide a crucial framework for client understanding.
Ask what helps, and do not wait to be told. Many clients do not know they can ask for breaks, extra time or plain English at a hearing. The guidance stresses that adjustments can be requested without formal diagnosis.
Do not leave the burden on the client. The guidance is clear that managing difficulties is not solely the individuals responsibility. The system and the professionals in it should adapt too.
None of these adjustment's are complicated or costly, but they help clients better understand and participate in proceedings that might shape their lives.
Business Development
Working for GT Stewart has also made me realise how important it is for firms to continually develop and improve their service to clients. The firms motto 'Every Client Matters' is more than a slogan. It reflects a real emphasis on improving access to justice, and it shapes how i think about growing in the firm: reaching the people who need support in the family justice system. Paralegals are encouraged to drive this growth. For example, in my role, I have worked with the firm's marketing team to devise collaboration opportunities with local charities and agencies in Leeds. This work helps everyone involved. The firm builds its presence in Leeds whilst charities and agencies learn how we can help the people support.
Additionally, collaborating with talented practitioners within the firm on the national scale that GT Stewart operates has helped me build confidence in approaching other legal professionals, from secretaries to silks. My role as National Representative for the Harrogate & North Yorkshire Junior Lawyers Division has bolstered this further. As my knowledge of family law grows through exposure I get to all levels of a case, I have become more pro-active in my professional networking, always aware of how starting a conversation can lead to new partnership.
Where I Am Heading
I want to qualify as a solicitor and specialise in family law. The work happens at critical moments in people's lives and rewards patience, clarity and empathy as well as technical skill. I am working towards a training contract, and i want to earn it through my quality of work and a proper understanding of the clients i serve. I am grateful to the colleagues who have taught me, and I am looking forward to what comes next.
Robert Jenkins, Paralegal.