Tips in Working with Paralegals
Below are common comments from Paralegals to assist everyone to work together on assignments and improve communications and efficiencies in meeting our client’s needs.
Give Paralegals Deadlines - Real ones! Just like the attorneys, Paralegals work on multiple cases with competing deadlines, so having due dates helps prioritize projects better.
*Also, please keep in mind that “as soon as possible” is not a real deadline. If a Paralegal has five different requests that need to be done ASAP, it is difficult to determine priorities.
Case background - Try to get in the habit of giving your Paralegal general background information about the case/matter, e.g., what are the main issues, who are the parties, what is the assignment from the client, what is the goal. Paralegals can help much better if given some context.
Pre-planning - Explaining what information is to be gathered and the format of the work product, there will be a better end product.
Communication - Although it may seem like they are at times, Paralegals are not mind readers. They try their best to predict what you want, but the more you communicate with them, the more successful they can be as a part of the team. If there is a looming deadline, let the Paralegal know.
Billing - A Paralegal’s default is to bill for every project they receive, unless specifically told not to bill. Paralegals can help with smaller non-billable projects; however, generally, the Paralegal has a billing requirement and function, and there are others (e.g., legal assistants) that can help on the non-billable tasks.
*If you are aware of specific guidelines or billing requirements or preferred task/activity codes, please share that information when giving the Paralegal an assignment. If you have suggestions on how the task should be described for the bill, please share that information.
