The Lawyer's Secret Weapon - Paralegals

Efficient management of caseloads and staff is required for
lawyers to fully utilize the potential of their practice.
Paralegals can play a significant role to ensure this goal. The
Department of Labor is projecting that paralegals will be among
the fastest-growing professions in the economy by the year 2008.
Below are some of the benefits that attorneys and clients can
experience from the employ of a good paralegal:

Benefits to Attorneys Most legal firms are not streamlined in
order to make optimum use of staff. Many lawyers are doing the
same work that paralegals do. By allotting work to a paralegal,
your own time can be utilized by handling those tasks that
require your expertise. Instead of handling every last detail of
each case (can you say micro-manage?), set up time each week/day
to meet with your paralegal, so that they can bring you up to
speed on each case they're handling for you. The payoff?
Increased income from the ability to handle more cases, and more
time off, as your presence at the office isn't required to get
everything done.

Benefits to Your Clients According to a study conducted by
American Bar Association, 70% of people choose not to seek help
from lawyers for their legal needs. Why? The high cost of legal
services and the headaches of dealing with lawyers. Why not use
this information to your advantage by offering every client the
services of your excellent paralegal staff? Clients who retain
you are seeking to rely on you and your staff. Clients are aware
that your availability to them is costly. So delegate. When
dealing with a paralegal, clients see up close how the
appropriate time and attention has been given to their case.
This helps clients feel confident about your firm's legal
services, and also helps to form a strong relationship between
the client and your firm. Moreover, the paralegal's close
interaction with the client can help you understand all aspects
of the case better. Without such personal attention, clients may
feel overlooked and apprehensive about seeking your help with
additional matters.

Benefits to the Paralegal Paralegals, as evidenced by their
choice of profession, enjoy challenging jobs. With increased
interaction with you, a paralegal will be able to perform varied
tasks, and decrease your workload substantially. According to a
recent study by National Association of Legal Assistants, the
tasks of assisting clients, drafting correspondence and
pleadings, research, case management and document analysis are
the aspects of the legal profession preferred by paralegals.
Again, delegation makes sense, so that your expertise can be
utilized for revenue production.

By taking advantage of the suggested benefits listed above, you
can not only streamline your office, but you will also find that
you have the time (and energy) required to look for new avenues
of growth.

About the author:
Jack McDonough is a Colorado CPA, speaker, author, coach, and
consultant to professionals in the legal and accounting
industries who desire to make more money while working less
hours. Jack is President of Wealthy Professionals LLC.
www.wealthyprofessionals.com