As a former attorney, I’ve worked with a lot of paralegals – some of them among the brightest legal professionals I’ve ever encountered. And, as a current writer on legal topics, I hear from paralegals all the time in response to one article or another.
In other words, I have a longstanding relationship with these folks, and I have the utmost respect for them.
Consequently, I’m going to do my paralegal friends a favor today and share some of the top things they wish their attorneys knew about them.
These aren’t necessarily complaints. Think of them more as annoying realities of their jobs.
Please understand, this article isn’t meant to divide. Hopefully, it will be seen as an opportunity for attorneys to understand these legal professionals on a deeper level and a chance to treat them with the ongoing respect and professionalism they deserve.
And, if we can do this with a bit of levity, all the better.
With that in mind, here’s what the paralegals I talked to about this post want you to know about them.
#1: We’re human
This may come as a surprise to many of you but paralegals are, in fact, human. They have families, spouses, friends, and hobbies that exist entirely separate from your law firm.
Thus, when you’re asking them to work for the 8th weekend in a row, they’re going to have feelings about it.
They’re also – perhaps shockingly – not immune from your grumpiness.
Indeed, some of the paralegals I spoke with went so far as to suggest that they actually enjoy things like recognition, appreciation, and the occasional spot bonus.
You see, as humans, they’re motivated by kindness and inclusion, and they’re put off by sneers, jeers, and constant criticism.
They certainly understand that your job is stressful – theirs is too. They’d just like to be treated with a similar level of deference that you give to other professionals in the firm.
#2: We’re not the IT department
We all know that one of the greatest attributes of paralegals is that they are terrific at solving problems.
That said, when the firm WiFi goes out or your screen goes blank, they are not necessarily equipped with the technological savvy to make your life easier.
And while they certainly understand your frustrations — these things happen to them too, after all — they are not the best target for your rants. See the aforementioned point about humans.
That said, many paralegals pride themselves on their proficiency with the latest legal solutions technologies. Having trouble navigating an electronic document production? They can likely help. Struggling with your firm’s case management software? Chances are, they can walk you through that.
In fact, many of the paralegals I talked to are actually charged with mastering their firm’s legal software suite. It’s a concrete skillset that adds value to the entire team.
But just because they’re adept at using the tech tools the firm provides does not mean they can stop your cell phone battery from dying.
You get my drift.
#3: We’re not mind-readers
This point is actually hard for me to write because, when I was practicing, many of the paralegals I worked with actually seemed like mind readers.
And, in truth, I started to think of them that way. Sorry!
I remember walking into my office one morning, fretting about an opposition to a motion to compel discovery, only to find that my paralegal had already organized a binder with every piece of evidence I needed to craft my argument.
I’m sure similar things have happened to you. Priceless, right?
Nonetheless, just because paralegals often anticipate an attorney’s needs doesn’t mean they should be expected to always do so.
So, the word of advice I’d give here is that attorneys should be grateful when their paralegals seem to read minds, but thoughtful enough to give clear instructions whenever they’re needed.
(Pro-tip: clear instructions are always needed.)
#4: Sometimes, we know stuff that you don’t
This point is mainly a shout-out to the more arrogant attorneys in the crowd, but it’s good for all of us to remember.
Your paralegals are a literal treasure trove of information about the nuts and bolts of your practice.
In fact, many of them have been doing this job since before you went to high school. So, if they tell you that a local-local rule requires a different formatting of your index of authorities than what you’ve prepared, believe them — or, better yet, trust but verify.
In my 25 years in and around the law, I’ve seen (and heard of) throngs of particularly young attorneys who come out of law school treating the firm’s paralegals like undervalued personal assistants.
That’s a huge mistake.
When treated with respect, they can make your life a whole lot easier. And when they’re not…well, good luck to you.
#5: We’re connected
I don’t know if attorneys really appreciate this point, but paralegals are often highly-connected individuals within your legal community.
Many belong to local, state, or national paralegal associations, volunteer for various legal charities, and have resumes longer than a CVS receipt.
They also talk to one another.
There are a lot of practical implications to this.
If you’re a lateral attorney who earned yourself a terrible reputation at your last firm, the paralegals in your new firm know about you.
When you have intricate questions about court procedures and can’t find the answers in the local rules, your paralegal likely has a solid relationship with the court clerk and can get answers within the hour.
Struggling with a particularly obnoxious opposing attorney? Your paralegal probably knows someone who knows their kryptonite.
You may be surprised just how much your paralegal knows. All you have to do is ask.
#6: We can do more than you think
Did you know that according to the ABA Model Guidelines for Utilization of Paralegal Services, “a lawyer may delegate to a paralegal any task normally performed by the lawyer,” so long as “the lawyer maintains responsibility for the work product?” There are a few exceptions, but this is a powerful rule.
One mistake that many attorneys make is flat-out underutilizing their paralegals.
Depending on their training, many paralegals can perform thorough legal research, produce drafts of legal briefs, and prepare an initial set of deposition questions among many, many other things.
And, believe it or not, your paralegals actually want more substantive work.
Sure, they’ll format your legal briefs, usher them through the filing process, and interface with your process servers. But they’re probably capable of much, much more than you give them credit for.
#7: Your clients love us
Many of the attorneys I worked with in the past tried to shield clients from the firm’s paralegals. I’m not sure why that happened, but, in most cases, it was a mistake.
Paralegals are just like young associates — you know who you can trust talking to a client and who should be locked away in a research closet and given food twice a day. If you have a personable, thoughtful paralegal, there’s no reason that person shouldn’t be helping you maintain client relationships.
Perhaps more importantly, however, clients love the hourly rates at which you bill your paralegals out.
If a task can be done by an associate for $200 per hour or by a paralegal for $90 per hour, your client is going to want the paralegal every time.
Likewise, if your client has questions that your paralegal can answer, they’ll appreciate a promptly-returned phone call from someone with a lower billing rate over a long-delayed email from you that costs three times as much.
Let your paralegals shine, and everyone will be happier.
Conclusion
In closing, I recognize that the points in this post don’t apply to every attorney or every paralegal. These are simply the thoughts and concerns I’ve heard from paralegals most often in my work.
But if they cause even one law firm to pause, think, and then utilize its paralegal corps more effectively, I’ll take it as a win.
