How to Effectively Utilize a Paralegal.
Paralegals are support professionals who can handle many tasks within a law firm. Their responsibilities may include client intake, trial and document preparation, discovery, case management, and research. Paralegals can often handle the same duties as an entry-level associate attorney. To effectively utilize paralegals, law firms should treat them as skilled professionals and give them substantive tasks that match their individual skill sets.
Instructions
Set up a tiered structure. In the Report to Legal Management, James Wilber suggests that law firms set up a tiered system for paralegals and delegate tasks and pay structures according to experience and skills. This will allow the appropriate body of work to make it to appropriate staff members and help the firm effectively utilize the skills of each paralegal.
Provide paralegals with training opportunities. When each paralegal is hired, the firm should ensure that he has appropriate training in the field of law practiced by the firm and in the individual office's procedures and protocols. The firm should also offer experienced staff members with additional training opportunities so that they may perform more complex work and supervise new paralegals.
Delegate work according to ability. Since paralegals can perform many of the same tasks as attorneys, lawyers can free up their schedule by delegating proofreading, drafting and simple research tasks to senior paralegals. At the same time, lawyers can assign clerical work to new legal assistants, receptionists and file clerks.
Evaluate how work is distributed. Law firm administrators and managing partners should implement a system, such as a survey or verbal interview, to gauge how much and in what manner individual attorneys are utilizing paralegals. From the results of the study, administrators can establish a set of best practices on how to more effectively rely on the firm's paralegals and legal assistants.
Conduct regular performance evaluations. Each paralegal should have a regular performance review where she has the opportunity to discuss her workload and receive feedback from attorneys and supervisory staff. These evaluations can serve as a way for administrators to identify untapped skills and develop more effective training programs.
