Maryland Bar Bulletin
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Effective Use of Paralegals in a Small Law Office Environment
By Gail C. Ascione

For sole practitioners or attorneys in small firms, chances are good that there are not enough hours in the day to handle all of the aspects of their practice. Maintaining a large client base is a necessity for financial security. Keeping track of discovery and filing deadlines, doing legal research, and communicating with clients are examples of time-consuming tasks that a paralegal can perform. Delegating these tasks to a paralegal will provide more time to maintain the level of competent representation and good attorney-client relations that are necessary to build a solid practice and reputation in the legal community. Whether the practice is based on plaintiff or defense work, a paralegal can assist with many of the tasks that currently consume a large portion of an attorney’s day.

A paralegal can track deadlines better than a computer calendaring system. A paralegal can initiate drafts of many pleadings. As long as the paralegal has a basic knowledge of the case and the issues at stake, he/she can prepare pleadings and discovery for review, thus saving an attorney time that can be spent on more substantive issues.

Whether handling insurance defense, plaintiff’s medical malpractice or virtually any other area of litigation, assign a paralegal the task of conducting initial case document reviews, drafting answers to complaints, and preparing/responding to discovery requests. An attorney should not spend time reviewing medical records when a paralegal who knows what to look for may be assigned the task. If a medical records summary or a chronology of events/documents will assist in trial preparation, give that assignment to a paralegal. A well-prepared chronology of medical reports will prove valuable at trial, and is paralegal time well spent. Have a paralegal review and summarize depositions. This puts the needed information within easy reach. While the paralegal drafts initial pleadings, discovery, chronologies, and summaries of important documents, the will have time to focus on the more complex issues of the case. While progressing through the discovery phase of a case, utilize the paralegal to perform the legal research needed when drafting or responding to dispositive motions. Allow the paralegal to resolve scheduling conflicts or other logistical issues that need to be discussed with the court. Let the paralegal coordinate deposition dates with other counsel.

The addition of a paralegal to any legal team will result in a win-win situation. From a financial standpoint, a good paralegal is worth his/her weight in gold. Given the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way, a paralegal will generate many billable hours. Clients will appreciate being billed at a lower paralegal rate. In return, the attorney will have more time to devote to billable attorney hours. Not only will this improve firm efficiency, but it will also provide the time necessary to expand the client base and increase profits.

Gail C. Ascione
Litigation Paralegal
Gallagher, Evelius & Jones, LLP