Re: Independent Paralegal

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On 5/31/08, Sal wrote:
> Dear Madam,
>
> I was really impressed by the information you provided here
> , and since you know more then i do. My question here is, Are
> we allowed to be Paralegals under contract with immigration
> attorneys? I heard that immigration attorneys are not aloud
> to give commission and are not allowed to have an agent either,
> is this true?
>
>
>
>
> On 3/11/05, Liz Miller d/b/a Paralegal Professionals wrote:
>> Hi - I am new to this chat board. I work as an independent
>> paralegal and recently wrote this article for a magazine. I
>> thought some people might find it helpful or interesting and
>> it tells you something about me, who i am and what i do.
>>
>> How Can Contract Services Benefit Your
>>
>
Practice?____________________________________________________________
>> A freelance or contract paralegal is one that is
>> self-employed and available to take on short term, long
>> term, per diem or per case projects with no committments
>> beyond any commissioned assignment. These services can
>> range from assisting with litigation preparation, covering
>> employee absences, or coming to an attorneys’ office to pick
>> up files or overflow work and are generally much less
>> expensive, and more reliable than other sources of
>> temporary help.
>> I read an article recently in which a freelance paralegal
>> was quoted describing the independent contract paralegal
>> perfectly. She said, “those of us who freelance have
>> usually had years of experience within the legal profession
>> and understand there is far more to being a legal secretary
>> than answering phones and that paralegals are much more
>> capable (and much more valuable) than reviewing files and
>> documents. We did not become freelancers on a wing and a
>> prayer. We have to do what a service business does - we
>> present ourselves with credibility and experience and all we
>> have to offer is our time and our knowledge. We also know
>> the limits of our skills and we know what the job really
>> entails.” (author unknown)
>> I have been a paralegal for almost 26 years, and have spent
>> the better part of the last 16 years working as an
>> independent paralegal trying to make attorneys understand
>> how an independent contractor, be it a paralegal, legal
>> secretary or some other support staff person, can benefit
>> their practice. One day I had the opportunity to talk to a
>> defense attorney who shared with me how he convinced his
>> partners of the financial benefits of employing a contract
>> paralegal. I realized from talking to him that most
>> attorneys do not see the big picture. I’d like to share it
>> with you.
>> We all know that the joke about defense work is that they
>> get paid by the pound, but, of course, someone has to
>> generate the work. So now you have a full-time salaried
>> paralegal, and there is a lull in the work. Non- party
>> subpoenas are out, discovery hasn’t come in, you cannot get
>> anything scheduled and there is little to no work to bill.
>> The paralegal is filing or doing clerical work because there
>> is nothing else to do at the moment. This is where the
>> cost-effectiveness of an independent contractor paralegal or
>> any support staff member becomes invaluable. If you retain
>> the services of a contract paralegal to work defense (or
>> any) files, and that paralegal is only getting paid when
>> billable work is generated, the firm is in a win/win
>> situation. Let’s suppose the firm is billing their client
>> $75 an hour for paralegal time, and paying the paralegal
>> $25/hour. If the paralegal bills 40 hours a week, she
>> earns $1,000 and the law firm earns $3000. Add into the
>> equation the flexibility of not having to pay the contract
>> paralegal unless she is billing time, no overhead, no
>> health benefits, vacation time, sick time, or taxes to pay -
>> this turns into a profitable way for the law firm to
>> outsource their work and increase the firm’s revenues
>> without interrupting the continuity of the work or the
>> paralegal’s familiarity with your files.
>> The equation works a little differently in other areas of
>> law, but it can still be a financial benefit for the firm.
>> If you establish an ongoing rapport with a contractor who
>> knows and agrees up front that they will be employed only
>> when there is work, and you do not have to provide a desk,
>> computer, telephone or copier for her to work, you can still
>> have office continuity and not expend any revenues for time
>> when no revenues are being generated for the firm by that
>> paralegal’s work. In the case of the plaintiff’s practice,
>> files that are sitting in a cabinet that need settlement
>> demands or medical malpractice notices of intent or
>> complaints prepared are not generating revenues for the firm
>> either. If the staff is too busy which can happen since
>> plaintiff’s offices can be extremely busy due to extensive
>> and sometimes daily client contact, contracting a paralegal
>> to prepare these documents keeps the cases moving and
>> enables you to generate fees through settlements.
>> Contracting that work to a paralegal who can pick up a file
>> and write a settlement demand for a nominal fee exclusive of
>> costs (copying charges), is both cost and time efficient for
>> the firm. Although in plaintiff’s cases the fees for a
>> contract paralegal cannot be billed to the client as an
>> expense, it is worth the investment of sometimes as little
>> as $125 plus costs to get a case into demand and get it
>> settled. Again, all you are paying for is work that is
>> being done - with no added overhead expenses. Running a law
>> firm is expensive with salaries, and the cost of benefits,
>> overhead, etc. Utilizing contractors can help you to
>> maximize your productivity and still keep your operating
>> expenses under control.
>>
>> Liz Miller
>> Independent Paralegal
>> 813-340-9569
>> lizmiller35@juno.com
>> 26 years experience as a paralegal specializing in personal
>> injury, med mal, nursing home, tort litigation, bankruptcy,
>> family law, sinkhole and toxic tort litigation, trial work,
>> legal research and brief writing