Surprisingly, this is quite a common question. The best way to answer this is by making an analogy with the medical field—paralegals are to attorneys what nurses are to doctors. We are doing everything from reassuring the client to handling trial presentations—a jack of all trades.
Paralegals are the backbone of any law firm. Ask any attorney—if they say otherwise, they are lying.
So, what do paralegals even do? Let’s get into it.
1. Serve as a Liaison Between the Attorney and the Client
Now this can vary firm to firm, depending on the size and hierarchy of the firm players. For smaller firms, paralegals are very involved in client communication. Paralegals listen and reassure clients on where their case stands, next steps, and to just listen to the client vent. Paralegals can advise attorneys on when they need to step in to provide legal guidance to the client or acknowledge client grievances.
2. Discovery Management & Organization
Discovery is no easy feat these days. Our use of technology has only amplified the amount of discovery received – anything and everything ends up in discovery, and it gets dumped on the paralegal to manage.
3. Case File Organization and Upkeep
Files can quickly turn disastrous if the upkeep is not done regularly. Paralegals or even legal assistants manage the case file and ensure that they are well kept and ready for the attorney at any given point – online and the physical file.
4. Serve as a Project Manager (PM) on Cases
Every case has to move from point A to point B. This can happen efficiently when the paralegal serves as the case PM, juggling the various moving parts – calendaring deadlines and court dates, collecting documents from the client, organizing the case file…the list is never ending.
5. Keep Attorneys Sane!
Probably the most important duty of a great paralegal – to keep their attorneys sane. A great paralegal knows how to ground their attorney and keep them from spiraling when the going gets tough. While this is not an “official” job description of a paralegal, it is the mark of a great paralegal.
While this list is not even close to describing everything a great paralegal does, it is a great foundation, because everything else is the cherry on top. The flashy job duties are nothing if the foundation is lacking.
