Partners David McCombs and Eugene Goryunov and Associate Brooke Cohen authored an article in Bloomberg Law discussing the best practices for attorneys to follow when working with paralegals.
Read an excerpt below:
Attorneys, in particular, those at Big Law firms, work in high-stress environments with large workloads and tight deadlines. However, this stress is not felt by attorneys alone—staff members, including paralegals, are in the trenches with attorneys to provide excellent service to the law firm's clients.
By creating and maintaining a strong relationship with paralegals, attorneys can use paralegals’ expertise to divide the workload efficiently, thereby minimizing the burden for each member of the team. This can allow attorneys and paralegals to generate the best work product possible, reduce the amount of professional burnout and creating a more positive work environment generally.
This article explores best practices for attorneys to follow when working with paralegals. We provide attorneys with several guidelines for understanding and collaborating with paralegals so that they can foster a productive attorney-paralegal dynamic.
What to Expect from a Paralegal
Legal Research & Document Preparation
Paralegals are trained professionals who work in the legal field to assist attorneys and law firms with various tasks. They have a strong understanding of the law including legal concepts, terminology, procedures, and legal systems. Paralegals can gather and analyze legal information from various sources, organize facts and findings, and identify relevant law and cases. Additionally, paralegals can review documents prepared by attorneys by ensuring that the documents adhere to the required format and proofreading the document for grammar, citations, and legal terminology. Under attorney supervision, they may also draft legal documents, routine motions or briefs, and correspondence.
To read the full article on Bloomberg Law, click here.
