Virtual Paralegals can give lawyers the best of all solutions to the need for help” (Finkelstien, B. 2005 “Virtual Assistants” Broker Magazine, 44). Another article Outsourcing for Solos and Small firms: Virtual Paralegals states, “A virtual paralegal enables solos and small firms to take advantage of the economy that effective use of a paralegal can provide to a practice, on an as needed basis” (Price, C.2006 “Outsourcing comes of Age 27-28”).
Even though virtual paralegals are on the horizon, getting attorneys to get to become acclimated to the idea can be a huge adjustment to those that are used to hands on services. Virtual paralegals represent known unknown dangers to firms, attorneys and your clients because rarely do you have the chance to meet the paralegal face to face and get a keen feel of their personality and work ethic to evaluate if they are truly a good fit for your firm as an attorney. Thankfully, there are ways to limit these risks and start utilizing the advantages of the efficient and cost effective use of virtual paralegal services offered.
You will want to make sure that the paralegal has a certification from an ABA approved paralegal program and a minimum of five years of practice as a paralegal in the field or experience in a specialized area. It is helpful if the paralegal is a member of their local bar association or paralegal group. It will also be helpful if you obtain references, client testimonials and client ratings from the virtual paralegals past work. It is important to know that if virtual paralegal firm provide a service agreement, review it to see that it includes a confidentiality agreement this helps to provide reassurance to the customer and to protect your practice and work product as well as your client’s interests. You may be able to quickly check out all of this if the paralegal has a website.
The website is the first detail used to determine the professionalism and the quality of work that the virtual paralegal is capable of it. The website should look professional and the paralegals credentials should be listed. The paralegal should be easy to contact either via the website, email, and phone or by fax. There should also be a toll free number or a local number for you to use.
Peter Paralegal is employed by Honest Law Firm and has been instructed by his supervising attorney to prepare and conduct initial interviews with two potential clients to see if a conflict of interest is present. Big Box and Value Mart are competitors and are requesting representation by Honest Law Firm on matters that are unrelated to one another. Peter Paralegal was also asked to perform tasks related to the cases such as; prepare questions and conduct initial interviews, explain legal fees arrangements, establish the attorney-client relations, draft initial pleadings and responses, interview witnesses, draft and sign initial case evaluation letters.
They perform the most important work behind the scenes that are indispensable to all other legal professionals. Paralegals must have excellent analytical, interpersonal and organization skills. Similar to attorneys, they are expected to maintain professional dress, demeanor and behavior at all times. Paralegals are highly valued within their firms and enjoy the prestige that comes with their profession.
Outsourcing simply means acquiring services from an external organization instead of using internal resources (Butler, 2000). By using outsourced resources, organizations can gain a competitive advantage by utilizing contingent staff to accomplish strategic goals without incurring the fixed overhead. By focusing on the leading edge and highly specialized skill sets, outsourcing providers can often offer higher quality services, or at a lower price than the client organization. Typical reasons for outsourcing go beyond simple contingent staffing. Outsourcing providers are able to maintain economies of scale with regard to specialization (...
An effective way to mitigate the risk to in-house counsel is to retain outside counsel to deal with subpoenas and investigations, and work with in-house counsel on responses to formal and even some informal governme...
Fishman, S., 2007. Pros and Cons of Freelancing, Contracting, and Consulting. Retrieved December 11, 2008 from: http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/catId/450464AB-FA7C-4AAC-B374F1BCE305E4DB/objectId/221FE3AA-D933-4595-B0ACEAA2082BC06F/111/159/ART/
Paralegals have become an essential part of today's legal system, and as the profession becomes one of the leading and fastest growing occupations in the U.S. economy; these individuals perform delegated tasks under the supervision of attorneys. Education has played an important part on this matter; it has facilitated this development by allowing lawyers to use these skills professionals as agents to delegate specific tasks such as legal research, gathering of information and the drafting of specific legal documents under the supervision and final approval of their principals. This has been very significant because now; we can enjoy a speedy process in a cumbersome legal system. From en economic standpoint, it has also been beneficial by decreasing the substantial amount of the legal cost a firm could incur if only lawyers were allowed to perform this kind work.
A Florida Registered Paralegal is a person who is qualified and has gone through training, education and work experience to work under the supervision of a lawyer. He or she is there to help the attorney with drafting documents, legal research, legal investigations, contacting clients, and interviewing clients. The bill says that the requirements of the bill are “the person has to have prescribed education and experience, and have the prescribed certifications”. In order for a person to be eligible to be a Florida Registered Paralegal they have to have met one of the following education and work experience. They have to have a bachelor’s degree in paralegal plus a minimum of one year of paralegal work experience or a person can have an associate degree plus a minimum of two years of paralegal experience. There has been a lot debate over the bill some people think the bill is helping the paralegal while others think it’s just a
But for those who have no one in mind, it is very important to land in the hands of the right lawyer because hiring the wrong lawyer can complicate the case and can possibly cause you more damage.|It is not easy to find the right lawyer except for some who already have theuir personal lawyers whom they can call in case of trouble. For those who do not have any lawyer in mind, finding the right and competent lawyer can be a difficult process. It is very important to have a good if not the best lawyer because having the wrong lawyer can cause more complications and damages.|Finding an attorney is the most significant process you need to overlook. If you already have an attorney good for you but you need to assess whether the attorney is proper for your case.
In the legal profession there are lawyers who, out of kindness, use their legal skills to help those who really need it; this is known as “pro bono” work. Pro bono comes from “pro bono publico”, a Latin phrase meaning “for the public good” [1], and concerns the provision of legal services for free to those requiring legal advice and/or representation who cannot afford to pay for it and where alternative means of legal aid are unavailable [2]. But what is in there for law students? This essay will explain what benefits they could gain from pro bono work, and the range of opportunities available to them.
Professionals are people who have equipped themselves with the knowledge and skills in a given field. The interest of improvement of the professional identity is an evidence of how high standards are placed upon the professionals in the community (Johnson et al., 2012). Each profession creates its norms, values and scope of practice that distinguishes it from any other profession. Different legal ethics are upheld and everyone needs to work as per the stipulated ethics in the field to be part of the profession. People in the field are expected to be knowledgeable and independently use decision
The paralegal profession developed as legal secretaries assumed additional duties to help attorneys with their workload. The paralegal performs legal tasks under the supervision of an attorney that maximizes attorneys' productivity and cost efficiency in the delivery of legal services. Paralegals work in many different types of law firms, corporations or government agencies in many areas of law (Hollingshead). All duties performed by a paralegal are under the supervision of an attorney who is responsible for the paralegal’s conduct. In fact, the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Paralegals define paralegals or legal assistants [used synonymously] as a person qualified by education, training or work experiences, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, government agency, or other entity who performs specific delegated legal substantive work for which a lawyer is responsible (ABA). In class, we learne...
Attorneys and their agents are bound by the duty of confidentiality to their clients forever. This means after the case is closed and even after client has passed away. The exce...
Not Your Average Assistant “One man can make a difference and every man should try” – John F. Kennedy. I wanted to research becoming a paralegal because I love the idea of getting to help others and to be in a prestige working environment. I wanted to choose a career that allows me to use my skills and knowledge, as well as opportunities for growth. As a paralegal, I will be able to combine what I enjoy doing with what I want to do in the near future. This paper will explore the job description, requirements and salary expectation for a paralegal.
I am very interested in law career. My career goal is to be a legal analyst, and I decided to start my carwith a paralegal degree. I am going to finish my two years paralegal degree at Rowan College at Burlington County in 2016. I am looking forward learning everything I can about being a paralegal. Later, I am thinking to further my education in law. Like most
Before starting the paralegal program, I did not have a clear understanding of what a paralegal actually does. I always been interested in being a paralegal, but never clearly understood the full responsibilities. After being in this program, I have some understanding to the many responsibilities than I initially knew. The primary function of a paralegal is to assist attorneys in preparing for hearing, trials, meetings, and real estate closings. In addition, paralegals can also do other office tasks, such as office management as trainer of new hired paralegal, book keeping, and free lancing.