Lawyers and paralegals almost go hand-in-hand when it comes to practicing law. In fact, a paralegal plays an important role in the success of any law firm, especially in building an excellent team that offers the best service to clients.
Also known as a legal assistant, a paralegal is a professional who’s educated and trained to work with a lawyer, a law firm, government agency, or corporation where he performs delegated legal work from a lawyer.
Although paralegals are capable of carrying out the tasks of a lawyer, they can only do such tasks if they are under the supervision of an attorney. So what exactly are some of the paralegal services?
File management
Let’s be clear; paralegals are either not secretaries or document preparers. But they are involved in managing the substantial paperwork that an attorney handles.
Although most businesses are now digital, the law still uses traditional paperwork in handling cases and paralegals can review and organize client documents, carry out legal research, write pleadings, and process legal documents for different transactions.
This is extremely helpful for lawyers because it takes off a significant workload and focuses their time on helping their clients.
Pro bono service assistance
Perhaps one of the most significant paralegal services, legal assistants help lawyers in carrying out pro bono work for some clients who cannot afford to hire their own lawyer. This is a way for both lawyers and paralegals to give back to the community by offering their services for free.
Research
Every case requires substantial research to allow an attorney to build a strong argument in court. But this requires a lot of time that lawyers may not have, especially if they’re handling several clients at a time. With the help of a paralegal, proper research can be conducted and information is organized to allow lawyers to strengthen their case.
Notarizing paperwork
In the instance where a notary public is not available, a paralegal may be able to notarize documents to make them legal. But if an attorney is in-house, a paralegal will not be allowed to legalize any paperwork.
Proxy
There are states in the country that allow a paralegal to make proxy appearances if a lawyer is not able to attend such events in person. This includes meeting clients, assisting with documents, and accepting phone calls, as long as they are still under the supervision and authority of a lawyer.
By allowing a paralegal to make these appearances, a lawyer can cater to more clients without sacrificing the quality of his service to them.
These different paralegal services are highly beneficial in helping lawyers cut down operational costs while ensuring that they provide the best service to clients.
They are also able to cater to more clients, manage their time well, and focus on their craft while a paralegal takes care of non-core tasks that are still essential to their practice. So if you’re a lawyer who’s struggling with running your firm, you can definitely use the help of a qualified paralegal.
Arizona Diamond Documents is a Tucson Legal Documents Preparation company certified by the Supreme Court of Arizona. We are happy to offer our services here and to the surrounding areas: Maricopa County, Pima County, Pinal County, Mojave County, Gila County, Coconino County, Yuma County, Yavapai County, Cochise County, La Paz County, Greenlee County, Graham County, Navajo County, Santa Cruz County, Apache County
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