The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/96072
Most firms have some sort of tenure track to groom associates who strive to become partners. Paralegals: Paralegals perform an important role within a law firm. They are able to bill clients for their time spent performing functions that require knowledge of an area of law but not a law degree. Because paralegals are usually not licensed attorneys, their billable hourly rate is much lower than an attorney's. This helps keep costs down for the client. Legal Secretaries: Legal secretaries serve many different roles in law firms, their duties changing over the years. Before the more modern age of computers, secretaries were responsible for the majority of document production within a firm. Larger firms would employ word processing departments in addition to the legal secretaries that were assigned to specific attorneys. Today, because many younger attorneys have grown up using computers, they will often draft documents themselves. Secretaries are now taking on a greater administrative role in handling appointments, speaking with clients and more. In addition, while firms used to assign only two or three attorneys per secretary, they are now able to assign five or more since the secretaries are not doing the majority of the typing for all their attorneys. A Cast of Thousands: Of course, there are many other professionals in law firms who provide critical support to the frontline providers of legal services. Generally, the larger the firm, the larger and more hierarchical the structure of the administrative staff; but in firms of all sizes, you're likely to find professionals in executive management, technology, facilities, finance, human resources, records management, library and knowledge management services, and many more. They're all important team members who support the firm in delivering excellent client service. 46 Peer to Peer So, Who's My Boss? If you are new to working at law firms, you might ask yourself who you really work for. Because law firms are partnerships, usually there are multiple owners. That means a law firm employee actually has multiple bosses. While you probably have a direct supervisor, every partner is your boss. They are owners of the firm and expect to be treated as such. This can be a difficult concept for someone coming from outside the legal profession, but once you accept that you are working at a multiple-owner organization, understanding your role in the firm becomes much easier. Understanding your role is important. After all, knowing where you are helps you know where you're going. Lori Page Hall is a 25-year veteran of the legal industry. She currently works as the Director of Product Innovation for Levit & James, Inc. and has previously served as the director of client services at SoftWise Corporation, product marketing manager at XMLAW and vice president of marketing and communications at DocAuto, Inc. In addition, Lori served as the vice president of ILTA's Autonomy iManage peer group. She can be contacted at lhall@levitjames.com.