A paralegal must have the ability to communicate effectively in order to ensure that accurate information is given to and received by all parties. As a paralegal, you must be able to communicate with your attorney in in a very specific language that is solely related to the field of law.
It promotes frank and truthful communication between attorneys and their clients by removing concerns over disclosure of those communications to opposing counsel, the court, or the public. The clients hold the privilege. In most cases, only clients can waive it, not their attorneys.Feb 11, 2022
An attorney is responsible for giving clients candid advice even when this involves bad news. Communication skills for lawyers will allow an attorney to deliver this news in a way that keeps a client's expectations grounded but also keeps their morale and trust in the attorney high.Sep 20, 2021
Enhancing paralegal-client communicationAllow clients to speak for themselves… ... Talk with clients in plain English… ... Return phone calls as soon as possible. ... Show courtesy and respect… ... Keep the details of a client's case confidential. ... Repeat important information to clients in different ways…More items...•Jul 21, 2017
Communications and documents protected by solicitor-client privilege are confidential as between the client and the lawyer. This means that what might otherwise be relevant evidence or information, admissible in court or required to be disclosed to the other side in a lawsuit, can be kept confidential.Jul 18, 2018
The attorney-client privilege is the backbone of the legal profession. It encourages the client to be open and honest with his or her attorney without fear that others will be able to pry into those conversations. Further, being fully informed by the client enables the attorney to provide the best legal advice.Oct 31, 2013
Communicating effectively with your clients means you foster greater trust in your abilities as a lawyer. This leads to improved client satisfaction and reduces the risk of complaints being made against you. A happy client is also a good source of repeat business and will likely give you good referrals.Mar 21, 2022
Being able to communicate effectively is perhaps the most important of all life skills. It is what enables us to pass information to other people, and to understand what is said to us.
This means lawyers must understand how to effectively convey a message whilst ensuring the recipient understands the intention and the purpose behind the message. Effective communication is about how you say something, why you say it, when you say it, your body language, and what you don't say.Jun 29, 2020
How can a paralegal provide support to both the attorney and client when a matter is referred? Paralegals must understand the legal problem involved which must be referred. Paralegals should ensure to obtain all the necessary required information before referring the case to the attorney.May 10, 2021
A paralegal's day is filled with drafting motions, writing summaries, discussing the project status with an attorney, corresponding by email, telephone calls to clients and vendors, taking notes, or writing memos – the list is endless.May 13, 2021
As a paralegal, you should only be able to communicate with the client who seeks the advice. A description of the legal problem must be provided on the instruction sheet of the file. The petty cash is used to make small payments in cash.May 14, 2021
This, in turn, helps lawyers focus all their effort on where it is supposed to be , and thus helps the firm provide better and more comprehensive and helpful legal services as well.
What Makes a Paralegal So Important. No matter where you go in the world, there will always be a demand for lawyers and legal services. Such is the reach of the law that almost every aspect of life — from businesses to family matters — can be placed under legal jurisdiction. Hence, it is no surprise that lawyers have a steady stream ...
Although a paralegal performs functions that are similar to a lawyer (they cannot, however, take on or represent clients in court), paralegals are paid a smaller fraction of what is paid to lawyers. By hiring more paralegals in lieu of lawyers to accomplish more simple tasks, a law firm is thus able to reduce their expenses greatly. This, in turn, allows law firms to remain profitable and in business.
Thus, it is part of the responsibilities of the paralegal to sort, organize, and archive all relevant documents properly so that they can easily be retrieved any time they are needed. This, in turn, makes dealing with the case much more efficient and productive. Paralegals are also tasked with analyzing research material during a case.
Given how important the job they are doing is, the time of a lawyer is incredibly precious, not to mention pricey. Because of this, law firms and lawyers themselves would like to make sure that they make the most of their time and fully dedicate their limited time toward doing important work. By taking much of the groundwork off lawyers, paralegals ...
Hence, it is no surprise that lawyers have a steady stream of work waiting for them in their daily practice. Such is the workload of a lawyer that often they cannot accomplish all of the work alone. This is why law firms also employ paralegals, whose primary responsibility is to support and assist lawyers when preparing for cases, hearings, ...
Such is the demand for paralegals to take the work off lawyers that many schools offer paralegal degrees, which enable individuals to practice paralegal functions. Truly, it cannot be underscored how valuable a paralegal is to a legal team.
Paralegals must write logically and concisely for a purpose: You are trying to convince the reader or in some cases the audience. According to Paralegal Alliance, in the opening paragraphs of any legal document, you should present the reader with the specifics of the applicable law, the legal question, and the key facts to reveal a path so the reader will arrive at the conclusion you desire. Writing to persuade includes:
Integral to your role as a paralegal is writing in preparation for court proceedings. Courtroom interactions and presentations are handled by attorneys, but they’re dependent upon your written communication skills, from first correspondence through plea agreements and resolutions. The focus of your writing will likely vary from week to week, day to day. You may be called upon to interview clients. The content of those interviews must be conveyed concisely and accurately. You might draft settlement agreements or prepare internal documents in preparation for trial.
Paralegals must write logically and concisely for a purpose: You are trying to convince the reader or in some cases the audience. According to Paralegal Alliance, in the opening paragraphs of any legal document, you should present the reader with the specifics of the applicable law, the legal question, and the key facts to reveal a path so the reader will arrive at the conclusion you desire. Writing to persuade includes: 1 A clear argument 2 Presentation of evidence and facts 3 Anticipating counterarguments 4 A request for action or resolution
Almost all legal work depends upon the written word, so paralegals must know how to draft flawless and persuasive submissions to the court, emails to clients, internal memorandums, wills, resolutions, contracts, and other legal filings. Your writing tasks will be varied, but each document will be critical to the success ...
Because errors, misspellings, and improper usage can undermine even the most thoughtfully reasoned argument, your paralegal training will help you master punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Even skilled legal writers can be guilty of common mistakes, such as these 15 words and phrases you may be using the wrong way.
USF’s Corporate Training and Professional Education’s flexible Paralegal Certificate Program will prepare you to go to work as a certified paralegal in just 13 weeks, learning on campus in the evenings or online.
To make your case convincing, you must present your argument with precise legal writing. Paralegals draft and edit a range of documents: motions, briefs, promissory notes, loan agreements, trust indentures, wills, plea agreements, etc. According to the paralegal association, NALA, more than 69 percent of respondents to its 2018 survey of paralegals work in private law firms, where they are involved in civil litigation, family law, personal injury, criminal law, and mass tort litigation, among others. Without question, the complex legal responsibilities of a certified paralegal demand the highest quality editorial skills.
Your role as a paralegal may be to conduct client interviews. The general purposes of the client interview are to determine facts, to identify evidence, to locate leads for additional information, to assess damages and to evaluate the client as a witness. A client interview may have additional specific purposes.
Paralegals can’t get away from the fact that everything we do involves communication. Whether it is communicating with a client, the court, a judge or even the local copy shop, we need to know how to communicate. Paralegals are called on to be the liaison between clients, witnesses, experts, and counsel. Strong communication and writing skills are essential in fulfilling this role.
Deposition: Paralegals also play a big role in coordinating the client’s deposition. You will need to again answer any questions the client may have about what a deposition is, the purpose of a deposition and types of questions ordinarily asked during a deposition.
Approach each interview with the understanding the client is in a crisis or stressful situation. Put the client at ease by conducting the interview in a confidential and comfortable environment. Eliminate any behavior that may be considered pressure. For example, avoid the traditional seating arrangement, in which the paralegal sits behind a desk with the client on the other side, reinforcing the authority image. Instead, arrange the seats “catty-corner” using an end table or smaller desk. Act relaxed, not nervous. Maintain eye contact. Watch for facial and body language. Maintain a sincere, interested attitude. Having the ability to listen is essential to effective interviewing.
To get the client talking and more relaxed, begin the interview with preliminary data and routine information such as addresses, telephone numbers, employment and educational information. State the purpose of the interview. Begin the body of the interview with a narrative.
If you do not understand industry terminology, ask questions. An interview should be conversational, with the client interviewee at ease. Maintain eye contact with the client as much as possible during the interview. Avoid distractions.
In addition, during the course of the client interview, you should sort out facts and determine the source, i .e. personal knowledge or otherwise develop leads, identify physical evidence and evaluate potential remedies. Your role in the client interview will depend on the practice area, your experience and skill level, ...
Whether you work for a small law firm, a large corporation, or a government agency, as a paralegal, you will need to be able to communicate effectively with many different types of people, such as clients, witnesses, Court personnel, Judges, and other legal professionals. You may need to communicate orally, such as during a meeting or phone call, or in writing in a brief, letter, or email. Not only will you need to be able to convey your message or point clearly, but you will also need to be able to listen to what others are saying, or read what they have written, and understand their main point or message. Therefore, excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to communicate with folks from all walks of life can be a great asset to a paralegal. If you do not have good communication skills, are not comfortable communicating with strangers, or have difficulty understanding what others are saying, you may not want to embark upon a career as a paralegal.
Paralegals who work in both small law offices and for a large company, need to be able to not only use a computer, but deal with minor technology issues, such as printers that refuse to print, copiers that claim to be jammed, when no such jam exists, networks that go down for no apparent reason, and computers that lose files. In most law firms, if you cannot resolve these issues, you will at least be expected to find out who can, and get them to the office as quickly as possible, so that the attorney can continue about his or her day, unaffected. Even if your boss does not expect you to be able to take care of problems such as this, a good paralegal will be prepared and able to handle any computer or technology related problem that arises, as it is not cost effective for an attorney to deal with such issues. A paralegal who can make sure that the office continues to run, and the attorney makes it to Court, no matter what, can be invaluable to his or her employer. Therefore, if you do not have computer or general technology skills, and are unsure if you can develop them, you may wish to consider another career.
Therefore, problem-solving skills are essential for a good paralegal to possess. From solving the problem of the internet being down, and office computers unable to synchronize files or calendars, to working out the intrinsic issues of a client’s case, a paralegal’s job is to use logic in order to solve problems. He or she may also need to be able to follow an appellate Court’s logic through a legal issue in order to prepare an accurate brief, or understand the logic behind an opposing party’s argument, in order to locate appropriate case law in order to undermine it. Therefore, if you do not possess good logic skills, you may want to consider another career, as only those who can solve problems in a quick and efficient manner will likely be happy and successful working as paralegals.
The top five skills that one may need to have in order to be happy and excel as a paralegal include organizational, technological, people, problem solving, and communication skills. 5 Important Skills for a Paralegal to Have.
Whatever the case, the office will not run without organization, and that task will very likely fall to you, as the paralegal. If you are lucky enough to work for an attorney who realizes that he or she lacks organizational skills, you may be able to organize the office and have it running smoothly quite easily.
A law office must be organized in order to run effectively, but attorneys seem to be one of the most dis organized groups of people. Some of them realize that they are disorganized, and need help arranging the office, but many of them do not. Whatever the case, the office will not run without organization, and that task will very likely fall ...
Divorce, custody battles, planning your own estate, probating a loved one’s estate, and being involved in any lawsuit, whether as a Plaintiff, Respondent, or a Defendant can all be very stressful, and people skills that allow you to handle with clients who are dealing with such issues can be very valuable.
This includes investigating the facts of a case, writing reports, filing and organizing important paperwork and scheduling times for interviews and depositions, to name a few.
Another notable difference between paralegals and lawyers is that only lawyers can set fees, give legal advice, appear in court and sign legal documents. This means that even though a paralegal may have done a significant portion of the prep work, the recognition—positive or negative—often falls on the lawyer presenting the work.
Paralegals typically need an Associate’s degree. After earning their undergraduate degree, would-be law students are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) as part of the application process. There’s no guarantee they’ll be admitted, either—top law schools are very selective.
The training to become a lawyer requires much bigger commitments of both time and money than what it takes to become a paralegal. Most lawyers spend seven years in school (assuming it takes four years for an undergraduate degree and another three years of law school). Paralegals typically need an Associate’s degree.
There’s no guarantee they’ll be admitted, either —top law schools are very selective. The tight job market for lawyers is also reflected in the competitive nature of law school. Future lawyers compete to attend the best possible school.
Attorneys are busy people who rely on paralegals to search databases, do research electronically and keep abreast of new rules that are updated electronically. If a paralegal knows where to go to quickly and gather information a lawyer or client needs, he or she is performing a valuable service.
Increasing your technology skill set can also increase your salary. New career opportunities are appearing for paralegals who specialize in e-discovery and legal project management. Your salary (and value) can go up if you are able to combine legal expertise and advanced technology skills in litigation, information governance, compliance and cybersecurity.
The MTI paralegal program provides you with the minimum requirements to become a paralegal in California. In just two years, or less, you can earn your associate’s degree in paralegal studies and head out to begin a career in a field that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says is growing.
The American Bar Association in 2012 amended its Model Rule of Professional Conduct to include technological knowledge in a legal professional’s obligation to keep client information confidential.
According to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the courts expect attorneys and their support team (including paralegals) to be up to date on electronic stored information (ESI). Since paralegals are usually assigned discovery tasks, it is crucial that they understand ESI and e-discovery.
One more thing: If a paralegal decides to terminate employment, attorneys need to remind the departing employee that they have a continuing obligation to maintain client confidentiality regarding cases they worked on during the course of their employment at the firm.
Most people are familiar with the term attorney-client privilege, which is to protect all confidential communications exchanged between a client and their lawyer. While a paralegal is not a lawyer and is instead required to work under the supervision of a licensed attorney, there are still ethical obligations that must be followed by all legal ...
The communication made by the client concerns an intention to commit a crime. The communication is necessary to protect the attorney from a legal malpractice claim.
When the attorney is acting in a professional capacity with the client regarding the legal services being provided. When the client is communicating with the attorney regarding those legal services. The client is the holder of the privilege, and the attorney must have the client’s permission and consent to share confidential information.
The obligation to protect client confidentiality extends to all types of information, including: Documents and other written communications. Nonverbal communication (head nodding) Files and computer security. Communication posted on social media, online bulletin boards, and the law firm’s website .
A legal assistant or paralegal is 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 who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible. (Adopted by the ABA in 1997)
Violations of the Code may result in cancellation of membership. First adopted by the NALA membership in May of 1975, the Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility is the foundation of ethical practices of paralegals in the legal community.