In most situations the management of a paralegal employee is given to attorneys, office managers, or the Human Resources department. However, there is some wisdom in hiring someone whose only job is to manage your paralegal staff. Consider hiring paralegal management and improve your office productivity. Here are some things to consider.
- Review your staff. You may not even need make an additional hire in your office. Review the qualifications and performance of your current paralegal staff. Do you have a superstar who shows management potential? You want to select a candidate who not only has a great grasp of the daily functions of the paralegals but also has strong interpersonal skills and doesn’t mind handling a lot of administrative functions.
- Develop their responsibilities. Since this is a new path in your company it is time to determine just what the paralegal manager does on a daily basis. Start small with having the manager coordinate projects with the attorneys and begin to track the hours under billable and non-billable. Eventually hiring and training can be added to their tasks.
- Helps manage limited resources. A major complaint within many legal offices is that no consistency exists in project management. Once a paralegal finishes one project it may be some time before an attorney is able to give them another. A manager will alleviate this inconsistency. The paralegal manager will be able to determine which of their team is best to handle which project and ensure that everyone is used to their full potential.
- Save money. Possibly the most important aspect of having a dedicated paralegal manager is the money the company saves. Attorneys can spend less time handling administrative tasks and instead work on issues that bring money into the firm. Having proper management also helps to motivate the current paralegal staff. You may also find that the organization has more time to pay attention to special projects that can lead to more revenue.
Are you looking for creative ways to manage your paralegal team? The experts at NRI can help you determine a solution for your needs.
