Stressing Out Support Staff

Paralegals Need Love Too For those attorneys who employ paralegals or legal assistants, you know that a good support staff can make or break your law practice. With increased caseloads, today's paralegal often takes on an increasing amount of substantive work responsibilities. They are often on the front lines of dealing with the public. Good paralegals can be hard to find. They can be the backbone of your practice. Not surprisingly, its best to keep them happy. Your staff reflects on you. They can be your best marketing tool.

  Of course, too much work can backfire. It's important not to rely on your legal assistant to do all of your "dirty work". Too many attorneys rely on their staff to call back that particular curmudgeon of a client that calls 30 times a day. Getting caught up in the day to day grind of law practice, one can often forget that his or her staff is dealing with many of the same stressful issues you are. Many states are creating paralegal days on which to honor paralegals and highlight the valuable work they do for the legal field every day. Often working behind the scenes, paralegals deserve to be recognized for their abilities. Connecticut celebrates paralegals each year on the first Friday of June. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure you acknowledge the contributions of your staff. The American Bar Association provides the following: http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/paralegals/lawyers.html