"They're not the associates, and they are not the legal assistants, so where do they fit? Most firms typically have just put them with whatever works," Karen Tuschak, CEO of Spider Silk Innovative Solutions, said at a recent Canadian Legal Innovation Forum webinar on how paralegals are driving transformation in law firms.
"They actually become a client retention tool because the client gets to know them," Tuschak said, per the Canadian Press, adding that firms that recognize the value of paralegals are often more willing to provide them with the legal tech tools to make them more efficient.
Paralegals are often the "middle child" of a law firm, from juniors who assist with compliance to seniors that do transactional work, says Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP manager Karen Anderson.
She adds that paralegals are often the main point of contact for in-house counsel, and they will often reach out to them as the initial contact for new mandates.
The webinar speakers said that firms that recognize the value of paraprofessionals are often more willing to provide them with the technology to make them more efficient.
However, they noted that adding legal tech should keep in mind that some people adapt to technology more quickly than others.Peer support is really helpful, rather than
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
Caroline Diehl is a serial social entrepreneur in the impact media space. She is Executive Chair and Founder of the UK’s only charitable and co-operatively owned national broadcast television channel Together TV, the leading broadcaster for social change runs a national TV channel in the UK and digital platform which helps people find inspiration to do good in their lives and communities.