The Importance Of Paralegals

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According to the American Bar Association, paralegals are critical to building an effective law team. Paralegals help lawyers complete their work while maintaining ethical standards. They must perform this duty carefully and in unison with their peers. Paralegals juggle multitudinous tasks in an organized manner. They possess strong information technology and research skills. To complete their work, they must communicate their finding effectively in verbal and written format.

The Modern Paralegal

Paralegals help lawyers complete their daily work; however, their responsibilities stop where law practice begins. The law professionals are most commonly associated with conducting legal research for a lawyer or firm. Paralegals are accountable
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Legal matters are often complex and require teams to handle the workload. Due to the limitations the law places on the work a paralegal can complete, they must always work closely with licensed lawyers. The paralegal completes tasks that are too numerous for the counsel to complete alone. In effect a paralegal is an extension of the lawyer and their right hand at the firm. While performing these duties, paralegals are the face and voice of the parties they are representing. Furthermore, the firms count on the paralegals to coordinate with the other team member to ensure a positive client outcome. A qualified paralegal can only do all these things if they work well with others.

Juggling a Mountain of Information

Paralegal must successfully manage several activities at once. At any given time, a paralegal may work on multiple cases, contract negotiations or assignments. They will have to make decisions in a dynamic environment where circumstances can change instantly. The paralegal has to decide what tasks take priority over the other continuously. Therefore it is critical the paralegal manages their time effectively. In addition to having several responsibilities at once, a paralegal may have to complete work for several staff members at the same time.

Keeping It All
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They may have to consult with a client, reach out to information sources or record witness testimony. Face to face meetings comprise most work a paralegal performs. Paralegals gather requested information from many sources and report relevant information back to the lawyer they are assisting. To complete this work, paralegals must connect with others with skill and comfort. They also have to explain relevant law to these parties in common terms. As a paralegal, these individuals must understand how people think and communicate in ways that every day people can

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