Paralegal - So Much More Than Just a Title

Paralegal - A person qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.

Or as I like to say, an attorney’s right hand.  The ones that help keep attorneys on task, manage a client’s file, answer phones, file court documents, and ensures your case moves smoothly. But, while all of these things are true, being a paralegal is so much more than that. As a paralegal you will need to be flexible, organized and willing to learn; as well as patient and compassionate.

• Flexibility is key. For instance, most litigation cases have the same basic court format to them, but the details and specifications of each case inside that format varies greatly. Deadlines are crucial and every once in a while you might find yourself staying a little late at the office to meet them. If something is last minute to your attorney, it’s close to being overdue, as a paralegal does most of the finalizing and filing of court documents.  So that flexibility with your time is instrumental when it comes to deadlines.  It is also important to be willing to take on different roles. As a paralegal you may need to be, at times, a secretary, an office runner, or a billing assistant , so it’s helpful to be flexible and learn how to do these jobs to be able to jump in and help when someone needs it. Most of a paralegal’s work happens in the office but it is not out of the ordinary to go on errand runs. You will become good friends with your local post office workers, court recorders, clerks of court, and local process servers. As I’ve learned, be patient and respectful with them and they will be patient and respectful with you, especially in times of dire need.  One time, I had a federal clerk of court stay past her shift to assist me in getting a federal court filing submitted in order to meet my client’s deadline.  Without that developed respect, I would have been out of luck.  So, be prepared to change the course of your day at any given moment, things can change quickly.
• Organization is extremely important. Everyone has their own style of “organized”; find what works for you and go for it. Calendaring is something paralegals do every day and although at first thought, isn’t something all that exciting, it’s definitely one of the most important organizational tasks that we do. Every deadline, every hearing, every meeting, every lunch, anything that may or may not seem important, calendar it. Setting reminders are equally as important to avoid the last minute deadline filing. A helpful trick to all paralegals is to send out an email every couple of weeks to your attorney outlining upcoming deadlines and what needs to be done for each case you are working on. Make sure you are keeping all incoming documents in easy to find, clearly labeled folders and files. Communication with your attorney is vital to organization. My attorney and I meet regularly to stay on top of our matters and ensure they are flowing smoothly. 
• You are constantly learning as a paralegal. Whether it is about new laws, new formalities, new computer programs, your client or simply a new case, your brain is constantly working and retaining information. It is important to stay up-to-date on court rules that your attorney practices in. Sometimes that means multiple states and federal courts, as those are constantly being revised. These rules determine deadlines and what and how you file certain pleadings so continually learning is a must as a paralegal. What I like the most is learning personal tid-bits about my clients and co-workers that make the working relationship that much better.
• Patience and compassion go hand in hand with a paralegal’s role. When someone hires an attorney, odds are they are in a pretty tough spot. Even if it is not a big deal to someone else, it is to them. It is our job to make them feel comfortable and at ease. Clients can be trying at times, and usually not because they mean to but because of the situation they are in, so it’s important to see things from their perspective and explain things in ways they will understand. Have patience, be kind and help in any way you can.

Being a paralegal can be a demanding and tough job, but also very exciting and rewarding. But being able to switch between both aspects is what keeps it interesting.