As James Crawford, the founder of JC Law, I’ve been around long enough to witness the evolution of titles within the legal support system. What we now commonly refer to as legal assistants were once predominantly known as paralegals or legal secretaries. The nomenclature may have shifted, but the fundamental role remains crucial: providing indispensable support to lawyers and ensuring the smooth operation of legal practice. Over my career, I’ve been fortunate to work with truly exceptional personnel, regardless of their chosen title—whether they called themselves a legal assistant, a paralegal, or a legal secretary—their deep understanding and proactive approach to their work were consistently impressive. They simply knew what they were doing.
However, I’m convinced that a significant number of inexperienced lawyers today possess very little practical knowledge, skill, or ability to properly connect with their legal assistant. It’s not that they inherently lack the ultimate capacity to foster such a relationship. Rather, I genuinely believe that our modern legal industry, perhaps inadvertently, has shied away from cultivating this vital interpersonal dynamic. With the rise of technology—email, chats, texting, and myriad other digital communication methods—the nuanced art of spoken language and direct, collaborative interaction between people seems to be evaporating.
There’s no question that lawyers are underutilizing professionals such as legal assistants, paralegals, and even law clerks. The core problem arises when a lawyer simply expects the relationship between the legal professional and themselves to magically materialize. This expectation is often rooted in a lack of understanding about the symbiotic nature of this partnership. A further complication emerges when the newer lawyer doesn’t possess sufficient experience to effectively teach or guide their legal assistant. In those scenarios, it’s often much better for a legal assistant to have more experience than the lawyer, as this disparity can actually benefit the pair, creating a mentorship dynamic where the assistant can guide the attorney through process and procedure.
It’s simply not realistic to assume that this symbiotic relationship will mysteriously become proficient on its own. Much like any successful partnership, it sometimes takes years to develop the intricate ins and outs of how each party interacts with the other, how they anticipate needs, and how they seamlessly complement one another’s strengths. The initiative for this development, however, must fundamentally start with the lawyer. The lawyer must proactively set the boundaries, outline the expectations, and establish the requirements, not just broadly, but often on a day-by-day and sometimes even hour-by-hour basis.
At JC Law, I profoundly believe that the ability to have highly competent and engaged professionals assisting lawyers is paramount to the success, not only of the individual lawyer but of the firm itself. As the saying goes, “the devil is in the details,” and meticulously working out these operational intricacies takes a considerable amount of time and dedicated effort. Sometimes, when lawyers and legal assistants meet for the first time, I suggest they take a dedicated couple of weeks to work out their daily routines, work habits, and precisely what it’s going to take for their partnership to be consistently successful. This initial investment of time pays dividends in the long run.
Ultimately, the primary goal for any legal professional is to practice law and effectively take care of the client. The concept of “process and procedure” has become a ubiquitous buzzword across many industries, and the legal industry is no different. If the lawyer can establish clear, repeatable processes and procedures that occur every day, consistently executed with the legal assistant, it will profoundly benefit him or her. Effective administrative duties are the key word here. If a legal assistant can competently take care of the vast majority of administrative duties, thereby leaving the lawyer free to focus on the actual practice of law—the strategy, the legal research, the courtroom appearances, the client counseling—then immense gains in efficiency and advocacy are achieved.
Too often, lawyers graduating from law schools in the last 10-15 years tend to want to do much of the administrative work themselves. By doing so, they are missing a crucial point about leveraging their most valuable resource: time, and the expertise of their support staff. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a lawyer drafting a brief or occasionally handling some administrative task if it’s necessary. The problem arises when this becomes the norm, when you consistently leave the legal assistant out of the loop and, in doing so, diminish their ability to contribute meaningfully to the overall case and, most importantly, to the client’s interests.
The optimal approach is to set up robust processes and procedures where:
- The lawyer functions primarily as the “thinker” regarding the practice of law, focusing on legal strategy, client consultation, complex analysis, and courtroom advocacy.
- The legal assistant is primarily responsible for administrative work, but critically, they are also encouraged and expected to be “thinking about supplementing what the lawyer does.” This goes beyond mere task execution and ventures into proactive support, anticipating needs, and offering solutions.
There is no question that if a legal assistant and a lawyer are truly on the same page, consistently communicating and collaborating effectively, that relationship will blossom into something fantastic. Both individuals will benefit immensely from such a partnership, but the ultimate benefactor will always be the client, who receives more efficient, focused, and comprehensive legal service.
Here at JC Law, we really believe in fostering this type of profound, collaborative relationship. It cannot simply be a:
“Task-type scenario given to the legal assistant every day. There must be a symbiotic relationship between two parties, and if it is done correctly, the relationship can last for years.” — JC Law Philosophy
This philosophy underscores our commitment. It’s about building trust, understanding, and a shared vision for client success. When nurtured correctly, the partnership between a lawyer and their legal assistant becomes one of the strongest pillars of a successful legal practice, ensuring efficiency, client satisfaction, and sustained professional growth for everyone involved.