Employing Paralegals in Your Practice

In this course, Ms. Seibert discusses the American Bar Association and the National Federation of Paralegal Association’s definitions of paralegals, as well as paralegal training, accreditation, and certification.

Attorneys will learn about the limitations on paralegal duties, determined by unauthorized practices of law, as well as about the standards of professional conduct required from paralegals and their supervising attorneys. The course will also consider authorized paralegal duties, and the effective monitoring and supervision of paralegals. The discussions in this program are supplemented by The Paralegal Association’s Model Standards and Guidelines for Utilization of Paralegals, which establishes the necessity for paralegal guidelines, educational requirements, accurate paralegal designation, proper conduct, necessary considerations, and lawyers bearing the ultimate responsibility. Proper conduct, as determined by professional responsibility, integrity, and competence, is also reviewed, through the scope of conflicts of interest, confidentiality applications, ethical screenings, and background evaluations.

Any attorneys interested in effectively utilizing paralegals to help provide cost-effective and quality legal services should attend this program. Attorneys of any level of practice and field of law that have an interest in employing and effectively utilizing paralegals should attend this program.

Learning Objectives:

• Investigate the defining characteristics of paralegal definition, duties, and responsibilities
• Evaluate the necessary qualifications for paralegal certification, and accreditation, determined by the processes offered by various professional programs
• Distinguish between authorized vs authorized practices of law by paralegals, guided by The Paralegal Association’s Model Standards and Guidelines for Utilization of Paralegals
• Analyze paralegal conduct as proper or improper by evaluating the American Bar Association’s rules for professional conduct
• Review essential considerations of professional responsibility, necessary disclosures, integrity, competence, conflicts of interests, ethicalities, background evaluations, and confidentiality applications