Paralegal

Have you ever wondered “why is it so hard to get my attorney to talk on the phone?†, I’d probably be right when I say “Yesâ€. The honest truth is that most of the time they are pretty busy people. You might have one or two out there who might just be bad communicators but mostly it’s time. Your average attorney works about 60-70 hours sometime even more at larger firms and that time is usually split amongst multiple different cases sometimes 50 or more all handled by one attorney. This is where the underdogs of the legal world come in. Paralegals, if your attorney is the brain then your paralegals are the nerves helping your attorney, like a skilled Arlington family lawyer, process and collect all the data coming in and out.

You might ask “Paralegals, I thought we were talking about why I don’t always get talk to my attorney?â€, I hear you just stick with me. While paralegals may not seem more than maybe just an attorney’s assistant or aide they are truly so much more. A good paralegal is like a “mini†attorney drafting and preparing everything your attorney needs to succeed in court, depositions, or mediations. In fact the only thing a paralegal can’t do is appear in court for you. This means the person you want to talk to really is the paralegal. They are going to know your case inside and out if you let them sometimes even better than the attorney. Paralegals give your attorney the time to build and creating a defense or attack for your case. Your attorney is going to review every document your paralegal prepares before it is filed.

Still you might be saying “ but if they have help why do I still have a hard time talking to my attorney?â€. Well your attorney may just not be in the office. Between consultations, hearing, meetings, depositions, mediations and many more reasons your attorney just may not be there. This isn’t a bad thing if your attorney’s busy it is sometime an unfortunate side effect of success. You can however count on your attorney’s paralegal almost always be in the office ready to help you when you attorney is not in. They can even help schedule a time on your attorney’s calendar to meet in person or on the phone.

Your attorney’s legal staff can be a great tool for you to use in your ongoing or upcoming case. They help you save money and time and should always be there to support you. Just remember talk to and trust your legal staff. They are there to help you in what can often be a long and difficult journey.

Thanks to our friends and contributors from the Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC for their insight into paralegals.