In our Firm, you may have the chance to work with our Paralegal on preparing documents for filing with the Court or on discovery, which is when each side exchanges written answers to questions or documents. This article helps you understand what a Paralegal does—and does not—do and how a Paralegal can be a resource to you during your case.
A Paralegal is qualified by education, training or work experience, who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible. Although a Paralegal is a legal professional, a Paralegal is not an attorney, and therefore cannot provide any legal advice. However, a Paralegal is extremely well versed in litigation procedures.
Paralegals are key professionals in your case, and work closely with the attorney staffed for your case. Paralegals will often draft pleadings, gather evidence for the case, organize documents provided by you and the other party, prepare exhibits for trial, and work one-on-one with clients on specific case tasks. A Paralegal’s work is very important to the success of your case.
A Paralegal is a resource to clients in many ways. One of the most important is helping clients adhere to important case deadlines. For example, if a client must answer Interrogatories (written questions that must be answered under oath), the Paralegal will give a deadline for providing a draft Answer. Paralegals also work diligently with clients to help prepare Financial Statements to be filed with the Court, as well as Joint Statements of Parenting Time and Property, which are required to be filed in litigation. The Paralegal will email frequently to offer to help the client with the assigned tasks, especially if the Paralegal senses the client is feeling overwhelmed. Paralegals can also meet with clients to work directly on preparing the document needed in his or her case.
Clients should expect the Paralegal to be sympathetic about the issues of the case, especially in family law. Paralegals understand that litigation is stressful and time consuming. The Paralegal is trying to make tasks easier (and often less expensive) for a client and time spent with a Paralegal can accomplish a great deal of work in their case.
For clients who are uneasy working with a Paralegal because they are not attorneys, it is important to remember Paralegal are educated, trained, and knowledgeable in their field, and serve a vital role in the litigation process.
If you have questions about litigation, and how our Firm supports clients in their cases, please contact Laurie Wasserman at laurie@wassermanlawoffice.com or 410-842-1070. The legal team at Wasserman Family Law is here to help guide and advocate for you.
Read next:
Disclaimer: Opinions and conclusions in these blog posts are solely those of the author unless otherwise indicated. The information contained in this blog is general in nature and is not offered and cannot be considered as legal advice for any particular situation. For legal advice, you should directly consult a lawyer to discuss the specific facts of your matter.
By reading this blog, you acknowledge that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the author.
Any links provided are for informational purposes only and by doing so, the author does not adopt or incorporate the contents. The author is the legal copyright holder of all materials on the blog, and they cannot be repurposed without permission.