New York City Paralegal Association

James O’Connell

James O’Connell is the chief executive of the UK’s Institute of Paralegals (IoP). The IoP is a government recognised, not-for-profit corporation whose remit is to help develop the league burgeoning paralegal profession in the UK – see www.theiop.org.

Before seeing the light, James practiced as a lawyer (solicitor) in London and Hong Kong. He has also been an Associate Law Professor and most recently was a tutor and subject leader on a paralegal course run by the University of Cambridge.

As an anti-counterfeiting lawyer James well understood the pressures of practice, and in particular the horrors of trying to cope (not always successfully) with 160 live files at the same time.

James loves working in the paralegal world and being at the heart of a new and dynamic profession.

When not trying to persuade lawyers to treat paralegals better James as a family man with two children under the age of five. He occasionally looks up the definition of ‘sleep’ in the Oxford English Dictionary just to remind himself of what he is currently missing.

Finally, a word from James himself: “The NYCPA is an excellent organisation and one of the more professional and better run paralegal organisations globally. The IoP is delighted at the opportunity to work with the NYCPA and to broaden and deepen links with it.”