A paralegal manager oversees paralegal staff at a law firm, distributing cases and ensuring timely completion of work. They also provide training and research support to paralegals and manage workflow and caseload. Requirements for the position vary, and the role is defined by the needs of the law firm.
A paralegal manager is a trained paralegal, or paralegal, who oversees the paralegal staff at a law firm. The manager is responsible not only for distributing cases to the paralegals on staff, but also for ensuring that all work is completed in a timely manner. Many paralegals not only supervise, but also work on the sidelines in the preparation of legal documents such as appeals, wills, contracts and trial instructions. Another aspect of management roles includes providing training and research support to paralegals on staff, keeping them abreast of current court decisions, legal statutes and other changes in the legal system.
The paralegal supervisor is responsible for managing the workflow and caseload within the department, hiring additional staff, and conducting all assessments for productivity and performance reviews of the paralegal team. A paralegal supervisor must possess the skills and knowledge to be a mentor, leader and problem solver within the organization. The paralegal supervisor must have excellent communication skills because he must work closely with employees, attorneys and clients.
Law firms have different hiring criteria for paralegal managers and paralegals, and these requirements may include having a bachelor’s degree, an associate’s degree, or a paralegal certificate. A paralegal may be able to advance to a paralegal management position within the law firm, exhibiting excellent organizational skills, the ability to communicate effectively, multitasking skills and superior attention to detail. Senior paralegals generally do not want additional personnel management responsibilities nor the increase in administrative tasks that must be performed by a paralegal manager. This leaves the opportunity for a junior paralegal looking for a new challenge to move into a management position.
Paralegals are hired by law firms to reduce the costs of services provided to clients and reduce administrative costs within the firm, thereby increasing revenue. By hiring a paralegal manager, attorneys are able to produce more billable hours as they are not busy supervising staff and performing non-billable tasks. A paralegal manager becomes a valuable asset to the law firm by managing daily workflow activities, handling potential conflicts between co-workers, reviewing billable hours and verifying searchable data so that documents are filed in court.
The role of a paralegal manager is defined by the needs of the law firm. The type of specialized practice performed by attorneys and the number of paralegals on staff will also determine the role of the paralegal supervisor. A paralegal manager is not only a liaison between the paralegal team and the senior management team, but is a valuable asset to the law firm.
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