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The WHO WHAT WHY and HOW of Using Paralegals:

The WHO WHAT WHY and HOW of Using Paralegals:. Leveraging Paralegals in your Law Department  Toni Marsh, Esquire The George Washington University . WHO is your paralegal? . Who is your paralegal? A person who chose to become a paralegal

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The WHO WHAT WHY and HOW of Using Paralegals:

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  1. The WHO WHAT WHY and HOW of Using Paralegals: Leveraging Paralegals in your Law Department  Toni Marsh, Esquire The George Washington University  You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  2. WHO is your paralegal? • Who is your paralegal? • A person who chose to become a paralegal • A college graduate who has a post-baccalaureate certificate or master’s degree • A person who applied to and was accepted by a selective, competitive program You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  3. WHAT does your paralegal know? • Your paralegal’s program • Subject to rigorous assessment and overview • Reviewed by attorneys, working paralegals, and professional educators • Curriculum geared to local legal market You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  4. WHAT does your paralegal know? • Print and electronic legal research • Legal, business, scholarly writing • Rules of procedure, evidence, court • Motion practice • Substantive law You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  5. WHAT can your paralegal do? • LexisNexis and Westlaw • Case, statutory, legislative, regulatory, and academic research using electronic or print resources • Briefs, pleadings, discovery documents, applications, forms, business letters, and other legal and professional documents • E-filing, e-discovery, billing software, trial software • Trial Director, CaseMap, TimeMap, Summation, Concordance, CourtLink, LiveNote You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  6. WHY use paralegals? • Decrease costs • Increase productivity • Shareholder and management satisfaction • Lawyer and paralegal lifestyle You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  7. WHY use paralegals?Decrease expenses • Use paralegals to perform tasks that do not constitute the practice of law • Where attorney involvement is necessary, partner attorney with paralegal • Paralegal does the bulk of the work; attorney supervises and performs only those tasks that constitute the practice of law You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  8. WHY use paralegals?Decrease expenses • Decrease expenses • Average in-house attorney salary • $78,449 – 124,101 ($101,275 average; $50 per hour) • http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Attorney_%2F_Lawyer_%28Corporate,_in-house%29/Salary • Average corporate paralegal salary • $46,152 – 70,463 ($58,307 average; $30 per hour) • http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Corporate_Paralegal/Salary You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  9. WHY use paralegals?Benefits to shareholders and management • Decreased expenses and increased productivity • Increased communication • Increased interactivity • Decreased turnover You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  10. WHY use paralegals?Lawyer and paralegal lifestyle • Lawyers practice law • Paralegals perform challenging and rewarding tasks • Better time management, work/life balance You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  11. HOW to use paralegals • Understand what paralegals cannot do: • Accept cases • Set fees • Depositions • Sign legal documents • Advocate • Give legal advice You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you give full credit to Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  12. HOW to use paralegalsIncrease productivity • Assess tasks – are lawyers doing paralegals’ work? • Not everything lawyers do constitutes practicing law • What Paralegals Do (And Lawyers Shouldn’t Do) • For example: drafting documents, interviewing clients, scheduling, legal research, investigation, completing forms You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  13. HOW to use paralegalsTypical in-house counsel posting • Corporate Records:  Prepare Corporate BOD resolutions and meeting minutes, and maintain corporate records for the same.​  Maintain Corporate By-Laws and related records.​ Maintain registered Agent Status and coordinate/​maintain state qualification to do business as required.​ • Contractual Obligations:  Review and assess contract documents, purchase order terms and conditions from customers and vendors, and submit for outside legal review as needed prior to signing.​  Evaluate recommendations for contract changes and assist as needed for negotiations.​  Develop and maintain terms and conditions of sales, consignment agreements, and non-disclosure agreements.​  Maintain corporate contract records with 3rd parties.​  Review 3rd party non- disclosure agreements, indemnification agreements and respond as required on corporate policies.​ • Legal:  Review and coordinate internally and with outside legal counsel the handling of lawsuits against the corporation, subpoenas, gathering and review of records, coordination and assistance with depositions related to such legal matters.​  Coordinate annual appeals of property taxes.​  Review/​coordinate new and existing 3rd party office leases.​  Coordinate legal matters related to acquisition, sale, zoning, etc.​ of corporate real estate.​  Investigate product liability issues.​  Serve as primary internal contact for legal questions from corporate employees.​ • Other Responsibilities:  Including, but not limited to, participating in the Corporate Safety Committee, providing general knowledge of OSHA, conduct annual Export Control Audit as required by law and by Evergreen Corporation policy, and maintain personal knowledge of areas of responsibility by attending seminars and training.​ You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  14. HOW to use paralegalsThe tasks paralegals can perform in whole or part • Corporate Records:  Prepare Corporate BOD resolutions and meeting minutes, and maintain corporate records for the same.​  Maintain Corporate By-Laws and related records.​ Maintain registered Agent Status and coordinate/​maintain state qualification to do business as required.​ • Contractual Obligations:  Review and assess contract documents, purchase order terms and conditions from customers and vendors, and submit for outside legal review as needed prior to signing.​ Evaluate recommendations for contract changes and assist as needed for negotiations.​  Develop and maintain terms and conditions of sales, consignment agreements, and non-disclosure agreements.​  Maintain corporate contract records with 3rd parties.​Review 3rd party non- disclosure agreements, indemnification agreements and respond as required on corporate policies.​ • Legal:  Review and coordinate internally and with outside legal counsel the handling of lawsuits against the corporation, subpoenas, gathering and review of records, coordination and assistance with depositions related to such legal matters.​Coordinate annual appeals of property taxes.​  Review/​coordinate new and existing 3rd party office leases.​Coordinate legal matters related to acquisition, sale, zoning, etc.​ of corporate real estate.​Investigate product liability issues.​  Serve as primary internal contact for legal questions from corporate employees.​ • Other Responsibilities:  Including, but not limited to, participating in the Corporate Safety Committee, providing general knowledge of OSHA, conduct annual Export Control Audit as required by law and by Evergreen Corporation policy, and maintain personal knowledge of areas of responsibility by attending seminars and training.​ You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  15. HOW to use paralegals • Provide instruction, supervision, feedback • Provide professional development, continuing education • Provide opportunities for networking and professional growth You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  16. HOW to use paralegals to leverage your law department • Increase autonomy • Build trust • Display confidence • Start small and build confidence, increasing rigor and frequency of tasks • Allow paralegals to establish processes You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

  17. HOW to use paralegals • Attorneys must take the initiative – your paralegals may not • Ensure paralegals understand goals and strategies • Involve paralegals throughout legal processes and actions You may freely reproduce and use this presentation as long as you credit Toni Marsh, The George Washington University paralegal studies program

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