Prioritizing in the Law Office (Posted by Jenny)

Knowing how to prioritize the stacks of projects that will come your way as a paralegal sounds simple, but is, in reality, a bit more complicated.

If you had asked me when I was doing my paralegal coursework if I knew how to prioritize, I would have told you of course I did. I had years of experience prioritizing in different working environments not to mention my education, and I had never encountered a problem with getting things done, no matter how stressful things might be.

And then I went to work in a law office. Nothing in my coursework or volunteering at the District Attorney's office prepared me for the chaos of the workings of a busy law office. It was definitely trial by fire. :)

The phones rang constantly. Whether it was a new client, a current client, a former client, a court, or other attorney's office, everyone needed something and listening to their requests took a great deal of time. Then there were the clients that came and went in the office, dropping things off, meeting with attorneys, signing waivers, etc.

Then there were the emergencies that seemed to come out of nowhere. They covered everything from motions that needed to be drafted immediately to files that had been forgotten and were needed by the attorney in court NOW.

Lastly, there was the normal workload the attorneys gave and expected to be done. Some days I felt as if I didn't have time to breathe. :) Sometimes I would sit down at my desk and have NO idea where to start, everything seemed so pressing.

But that was two years ago and I have become a bit wiser at prioritizing (and a bit less fazed by daily law office goings on). I am not saying that I am perfect, I still struggle with prioritizing, but I am much more comfortable with working amid chaos (and minimizing problems before they turn into chaos) than I was two years ago.

Here are a few tips I've learned the hard way:

1.Put all deadlines on the calendar. If pleadings need to be drafted and filed prior to a hearing, as soon as you know the hearing date is set, calendar a time a few weeks out to work on the motions / orders, have them reviewed, and tucked away in the file ready for court (if they will be presented then) or filed. When that time you've set aside to draft the orders rolls around if things are crazy, push it out a day or two, but stay late one day if you have to and get it done.

2.Constantly ask yourself, What has to be done THIS week? Or if things are hectic, What has to be done in the next 2 days? Worst case scenario, What has to be done TODAY? Once you have answered that question, put everything else on your desk aside and focus on those things that have to be done immediately. (Obviously, you will not always be in a time crunch, but if you are, don't panic. Just focus on what you have to do RIGHT NOW and if you need help from other staff, ask for it! You are a team!)

3.Learning how to multi task is hard, but it is a must. While you shouldn't do it all the time, there are many things (like filing) that don't require much brain power that you can do while waiting on hold, etc. In emergency situations, I have been typing motions or handing things to my attorney to sign while a client talked to me on the phone.

4.Don't forget to do something by not starting it when you should have. My office does a great deal of communication by e-mail, so as soon as I get on the phone with someone and they start talking, I start typing. I also (for retained clients) open up a fee window in the billing software so I won't forget to bill for the time I am working on their case. Even if I have to stop and do something else before I send the e-mail or close the billing window, the fact that I have started it will prompt me to finish it.

5.Remind your attorney (more than once) of deadlines and keep them well informed of the progress of projects. You may think you are very busy, but your attorney is much busier. He / she will rely on you to be their right arm and make sure things get done early or on time. You will (in all likelihood) have to gently remind them of things more than once and ask what you need to do to complete the task. This will save both of you time and stress later.

6.Although I try to avoid it, sometimes things get too hectic (this is true in small firms especially) and I have to work late or come in on a weekend. My attorney has never asked me to do this, I just get a sense when things are piling up and spending a few hours without the interruption of the phone or a full office can work wonders.

Needless to say, I could go on and on. I hope you will find all of the above helpful. Working as a paralegal will teach you much more than any book or blog ever could. Most important of all, find seasoned paralegals in your state who work in the same field you do (if you don't have one in the office) and learn everything you can from them!

Although the best rewards only God can give, you will find hard work and dedication reap their own good harvest. Your attorney (if he is like mine) may say little to you in the way of thanks, but he will rely on you heavily. Like the days my attorney will remember a project or deadline and ask me where we are with it, and I can tell him it is done and see his look of relief. Or n my office Friday morning, I was deep in work when I heard my attorney say, "Jenny! Come here. I can't find that Motion for Expert Witness and I've got court in 10 minutes. Where is it?" Five minutes later he was off to court with the motion, and I was smiling. :) It's great to be a paralegal!