Paralegal Duties, Tasks & Responsibilities
Paralegals assist the attorneys in timely performing tasks associated with litigation and coverage advice assignments. This memo is intended to provide an overview of what our Paralegals are capable of doing. They bill their time, so providing background to assist in understanding the importance of the task and the context in which it is being performed is very helpful, as is any particular way the work should be described when billing.
- Case Chronology
- Review documents and create case or claim chronology
- Identify missing information for paralegal or attorney follow-up
- Policy Review
- Review policy for completeness, best copy
- Coverage Charts
- Create and update charts (diagrams) for complex multi-year, multi-level insurance programs based upon policies, policy spreadsheets, and other information
- Policy Spreadsheets
- Create spreadsheets listing policies, including whatever information is requested to be captured (e.g., issuing insurer, policy number, policy type, policy period, limits, attachment point, particular language, how defense costs are treated-in or outside limits) [some of this can be provided by the paralegal, some by attorney review and further instruction]
- Corporate History Timeline, Chart
- Research publicly-available sources and create timeline and/or graphic chart to explain corporate history
- Budget Preparation/Submission
- Prepare budget templates required by particular client for life of case and yearly budgets for attorneys to fill in
- Document Inventories
- Create detailed inventory of documents provided by clients, other parties, public sources, with level of detail attorney instructs (e.g., date/description, or also to/from, substance)
- Document Review
- Review document productions with focus on issues and items requested by attorneys
- Identify issues, e.g., missing documents, poor quality copies
- Organization of documents into witness files, motion support, exhibits for deposition or trial
- Prepare comparison of policies, amended pleadings, or other documents
- Document production (preparing production)
- Bates label/mark documents that are “Confidential”
- Mark redactions (and then apply once reviewed/approved by attorney)
- Combine, extract, and rename documents for production
- Draft privilege logs
- Research
- Search publicly available information (e.g., internet, Secretary of State, Dunn Bradstreet, other sources) for background information on parties, claims, property, corporate history, opposing counsel, defense counsel
- Locate biographies, articles, and cases about Judges and mediators
- Westlaw search for cases used in preparing and opposing motions
- Obtain court dockets and court-filed documents referenced in those dockets
- Motion Preparation
- Reviewing file for best copies of exhibits for motions
- Gather cases and authorities (e.g., to submit to court)
- Cite check cases cited in motion papers using Westlaw
- Edit for spelling/grammar suggestions
- Depositions
- Create witness files and binders, with bio, background information
- Prepare exhibits
- Review for key documents
- Prepare deposition exhibit list
- Chart for follow up on transcripts, errata sheets, witness signature
- Expert and Expert Preparation
- Search for and summarize information about expert
- Create expert file
- Identify and prepare documents to be sent to expert
- Create index to track documents sent to expert
- Trial Preparation / Trial
- Prepare and update trial check list
- Create witness and expert files and binders
- Summarize depositions
- Prepare exhibits
- Prepare exhibit list
- Assist with jury instructions
- Prepare trial presentation
- Database Setup/Maintenance
- Work with vendors for Relativity, Nextpoint, Consilio
- Request FTP sites
Upload documents to Nextpoint or FTP sites
