One of the readers of my previous article commented: “Although I don’t know everything, I know what I know.” Despite my admission that paralegals don’t know everything about the law, there are circumstances where do know everything
Paralegals are the details of the legal profession. We make the lawyer’s vision of his solution to a client’s problem a reality. Finished.
Many attorneys only understand their part in the process, eg providing legal advice to the client, representing the client in court, and drafting paperwork to better represent the client, etc.; however, they do not always understand the details of the process, such as the proper format or dissemination of documentation, what documentation would be most efficient to meet customer needs, etc.
On the other side of this equation is the client’s misunderstanding of the role of a paralegal in their case. Clients often only see us as obstacles questioning us, our knowledge and our methods; sometimes they will even argue with us. We take into consideration that you are passionate about your case and want it done the way you want it done; however, what you may see as a simple straight line from A to B actually requires detours through A(1), A(2), A(3), etc.
You have entrusted the attorney you hired to represent you to the best of their ability. The attorney has relied on the paralegals they hired to help them achieve their ultimate goals. Paralegals are constantly honing their red tape-cutting skills, and while individual methods may vary from office to office, we all know what we’re doing…at least most of the time.
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