The Paralegal-Client Relationship – NALA (2024)

The Paralegal-Client Relationship

When an individual seeks an attorney, it is often inresponse to an unanticipated circ*mstance orcrisis – and without insight into how the legal systemoperates. Paralegals, under the supervision of an attorney,play a significant role in helping clients navigate the legalsystem. They perform tasks requiring knowledge of thelaw and legal procedures. By definition a paralegal is anindividual qualified through education who is employed orretained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmentalagency, or other entity to perform delegated substantivelegal work for which a lawyer is responsible.

The Benefits of a Paralegal
Paralegals wear multiple hats. They manage the manydetails involved in preparing a case from its inceptionthrough trial. The paralegal serves as a liaison betweeninsurance adjusters, clients, investigators, witnesses, andcourt officials. Paralegals review and organize client files,conduct factual and legal research, and prepare documentsfor legal transactions. Paralegals also listen attentively toclients and guide them through anticipated and unforeseensituations as they arise. As such, it is extremely importantfor the paralegal to develop a good rapport with the client.

Establishing an ongoing relationship with the client enablesthe paralegal to actively engage with the client, anticipatethe client’s needs, obtain invaluable information to helpdefend or build a claim and/or lawsuit, ease the client’sstress in dealing with the impact of the legal process, andhelp the attorney(s) prepare the case for settlement or trial.In essence, paralegals are the behind-the-scenes navigators,often acting as buffers or shock absorbers when handlingclients’ personal concerns.It is the paralegal who often acts as counselor andconfidant by lending an ear and giving clients neededencouragement and reassurance during the trying process.Situations could include a heartbroken spouse filing fora divorce, an emotionally traumatized individual tryingto reduce the consequences of involvement in a crime, anincapacitated person filing a personal injury claim, or afamily member calling on behalf of a loved one who sufferedabuse at the hands of another. It could be elder care abusefrom different facilities or in-home abuse, or an employeethat suffered injuries because of a defective product in thework environment. Simply put, paralegals help people. Theyalso play a critical role in helping their employers be moreefficient by providing all applicable information neededto support their cases. This can be easily translated intoincreased revenue for the firm. They also help clients everystep of the way, which can have a significant impact in theirclients’ lives.

Paralegal-Client Communication
Paralegals typically have frequent contact with clients.They are often called upon to communicate with themat every stage of the process, which includes the initialinterview, the discovery process, and trial preparation. Ifthe paralegal can gain the client’s trust, then it makes theprocess of gathering information from the client mucheasier. Sometimes, clients withhold information because offear that it may negatively affect and jeopardize their case,they feel embarrassed about something that occurred in thepast, or simply feel it is insignificant to the circ*mstancesof their case. A good paralegal-client relationship willenable the paralegal to obtain any information the clientwishes to withhold. Additionally, ongoing paralegal-clientcommunication allows the paralegal to guide the clienton how to best navigate the process while involved in thelegal system, answer discovery requests, complete legaldocuments, and maintain an open dialogue about care,treatment, and any other aspect of the case.

Clients come to the law firm with a multitude of issues,including, but not limited to, fear due to loss of incomeand/or employment, recently developed disabilities dueto accidents or other negligence, and family dynamics,including stress and anxiety over what may be. Paralegalshave the ability to explain the legal process in simple termsto make it easier for the client to understand, help the clientcenter his or her focus on doing what is most helpful forthe situation, and help both the client and the firm achievetheir mutual goals.

The Litigation Paralegal
Because the paralegal may not be in the courtroom, theparalegal’s involvement during the litigation process isoften unseen and therefore not fully understood. Paralegalsare usually charged with providing support and guidanceto the client as the case proceeds to trial or resolution.This is accomplished by ongoing communication withthe client, to help ensure the client is calm, prepared,available, and satisfied with the firm’s representation. Theparalegal will also have ongoing communication withexperts and lay witnesses on the client’s behalf. During thecourse of litigation, the paralegal will engage with expertsfrom various fields (i.e., neurologists, vocationalists, lifecare planners, material handling experts, and accidentreconstructionists) in order to facilitate a good outcomefor the client. The paralegal will also work with theclient to ensure that these experts have all the necessaryinformation needed to properly evaluate claims, and ifnecessary, arrange for the client to personally meet with theexperts. Developing a relationship with a client enables theparalegal to fully understand the process from the client’sperspective and motivates the paralegal to work tirelessly toachieve the optimal outcome on the client’s behalf.

Continuing Education
Continuing education courses can facilitate the paralegalclientrelationship by helping to generate empathy whilelearning about the experiences, feelings, and other psychosocialdynamics during client interactions. These caninclude, but are not limited to, concurrent and historicalevents, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)resulting from personal traumas, the effects of a traumaticdivorce altering family dynamics, traumatic brain injuryresulting from accidents, or the loss of a loved one due toanother’s negligence. A paralegal’s comprehension of thesedynamics will certainly help them be responsive and havecompassion for clients.

Conclusion
The paralegal-client relationship is vital to any firm andcan make a major difference in the handling of a case. Thesmallest detail can change an outcome of a case and forevertransform the lives of everyone involved. The paralegal’sability to answer client questions, maintain and documentthe file, obtain information from the client while assistingthe attorney in coming up with solutions for a case, andwalking the client through the legal process is invaluableand can be quite rewarding. In reality, it is the paralegalclientrelationship that provides the foundation for anattorney’s success, although the attorney gets the credit forhis or her contributions. The paralegal’s ability to bring allthe pieces of the puzzle together is crucial to the success ofcases, court proceedings, and the personal lives of clients.Additionally, these skills increase the likelihood of potentialclient referrals. Without the paralegal-client relationship,the legal profession simply would not be the same.Paralegals are the backbone to every successful attorney.

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