The Essentials of a Good Legal Team
Lawyers—also referred to as attorneys—deal with multiple clients and have to manage an excessive amount of workload on a regular basis. However, it’s not humanly possible for attorneys to perform every task by themselves.
Therefore, they require a team of talented individuals to delegate some of their tasks to. A good legal team consists of individuals from different disciplines and levels of expertise, usually including lawyers, paralegals, and legal secretaries.
Lawyers
Lawyers are the most important members of a legal team. They’re primarily responsible for advocating, advising, and providing legal counsel to their clients. They also represent clients during negotiation processes and in court proceedings.
However, their job isn’t limited to the court. They work outside of court as well, finding evidence, researching facts, and questioning witnesses to build a strong case for their clients. The scope of duties of an attorney is dependent on their area of expertise.
For instance, a tax lawyer is less likely to spend time outside the court than a personal injury lawyer, as there will be no scene of incident, witnesses, or facts to investigate.
Using their experience and extensive knowledge related to laws, they can help their clients explore their legal options and protect their legal and financial interests.
Paralegals
Paralegals, often referred to as legal assistants, undertake many duties and responsibilities of a lawyer, including research and draft contracts, leases, pleadings, and different legal documents. Paralegals also provide assistance during preparation for trials and help clients to understand and prepare for their case.
Though they might carry out several tasks that attorneys do, they operate under certain restrictions. For example, paralegals are not allowed to provide legal advice to their clients. Moreover, they cannot sign pleadings or other documents.
The services of a paralegal are typically billed to clients on an hourly basis—but at a lower rate; however, paralegals get paid set salaries by their firm.
Legal secretaries
Legal secretaries facilitate legal teams by performing administrative tasks which enable lawyers and paralegals to better focus on the case. Typical routine tasks that legal secretaries perform include the organization of files, drafting correspondence, transcribing audio notes, etc.
They can also take phone calls, schedule appointments, and provide general correspondence to the client. But they are not permitted to answer client’s questions related to the case or provide any sort of legal advice.
The Essentials of a Good Legal Team
A legal team that is equipped with experienced lawyers, competent paralegals, and proficient legal secretaries can help their clients win cases. The team may also include research analysts, financial experts, and other support staff to facilitate lawyers to strengthen their case.
As paralegals and legal secretaries take care of a large chunk of the work related to administration and research, lawyers can focus on crucial aspects of the case; which contributes to a successful legal case.
If you’re looking for an experienced personal injury attorney in South Easton MA, contact Mark Novinsky to understand your legal options. Mark Novinsky has 16 years of experience as a civil litigation expert in Massachusetts.
To learn more about the essentials of a good legal team or schedule a free evaluation of your case, get in touch with Mark Novinsky by calling at 617-4-INJURY.