Are you an attorney curious about how a paralegal will help you in your law practice? There are more than 337,800 paralegal positions in the United States alone.
A paralegal doesn’t have a Juris Doctor degree and hasn’t passed a state’s bar exam. Even without these credentials, they are very valuable assets to a law firm. Read on to learn how lawyers and law firms can leverage paralegal services!
File Management
Operating a legal practice is a challenging but rewarding profession. That’s because there is a balancing act between finding new clients and billing hours. You’ve also got to be able to manage the business side of the firm.
Paralegals can help you with file management so that you lighten your workload. A paralegal can help you organize files, legal research, and make sure you don’t miss deadlines.
Help Lower Costs
Hiring a paralegal is a great way to avoid the cost of bringing on another attorney at your firm. Did you know the average salary of a new attorney is over $140,000? This can vary based on the area of law and the state where an attorney practices.
With an average salary of $57,000, a paralegal can provide many of the same benefits without the expenses! Paralegals have training for how to review discovery and drafting legal documents.
This will save you time and money by making you more productive as you complete these tasks later.
Assist With Discovery Tasks
The importance of paralegal services is clear when you look at how they can help you with discovery. During litigation, there can be no shortage of important things on your to-do list in discovery.
Depending on the issues in your case, you may need to keep expert witnesses and take depositions. You may also need to file many motions leading up to trial. A paralegal can help you prepare for depositions and perform legal research for cases. You can use this to support arguments in your motions and memorandums.
They can also tell you what to know about Bates numbering when you are producing hundreds or thousands of documents in discovery!
Support Other Office Staff
Besides providing legal services in your firm, a paralegal can be an important part of your law firm team because they support other staff members.
Depending on their time and experience in a certain area of the law, an experienced paralegal may know more about a given topic than a brand new attorney does.
A paralegal can help ease a law student’s transition into the practice of law by serving as a mentor to start their career. Paralegals can also work with legal assistants and other attorneys to ensure there’s a smooth operation in your firm.
Leverage the Benefits of Paralegal Services Today
Paralegal services can help you keep your focus on your most important tasks as a practicing attorney. They can also be a valuable resource to new attorneys and other staff members in your practice.
Before you begin the hiring process for a paralegal, consider the kind of person you’d like working in your firm. This will help you find the right fit as you build a culture in your office.
Are you a male attorney interested in learning about how to dress the part of a successful legal professional? Check out the rest of our blog section for a post on the leading fashion guidelines for men!
