Offloading Legal Tasks: Tasks Attorneys Can Outsource and Tasks to Avoid

Offloading Legal Tasks: Tasks Attorneys Can Outsource and Tasks to Avoid

Strapped for time and battling an overwhelming workload, attorneys nationwide are turning to outsourcing as a means to reclaim their time and focus on essential aspects of their practice.

According to the 2023 Legal Trends Report, 77% of attorneys work outside of regular business hours, often on evenings and weekends, just to keep up with the demands of their practice. This intense work pace can lead to burnout, affecting both work performance and personal life.

Outsourcing provides a solution by offering support without necessitating the hiring of a full-time employee. With outsourcing, attorneys can choose the hours, tasks, and level of support needed, all while maintaining control of their practice.

The Attraction of Outsourcing

Outsourcing has become increasingly popular for its cost-effectiveness and the ability to scale a practice without the financial burden of hiring full-time staff. Attorneys often juggle various roles in their practice, from attorney to receptionist, bookkeeper, intake specialist, and even tech support.

Outsourcing allows attorneys to delegate time-consuming administrative tasks, freeing up valuable hours for higher-priority work:

• Scheduling consultations or court dates
• Email filtering and file organization
• Client intake questionnaires and follow-ups
• Invoicing, billing, and managing overdue payments

One attorney saw their productivity skyrocket after outsourcing email management and scheduling tasks, reclaiming more than 10 hours per week, enough to take on more clients without sacrificing family time.

Paralegal Support

Outsourcing also includes virtual paralegals, who specialize in handling routine legal work. This allows attorneys to focus on strategic elements of their practice, such as building client relationships, forming case strategies, and preparing for court.

Virtual paralegals can assist with tasks like:

• Drafting discovery responses
• Summarizing depositions and transcripts
• Legal research for motions or pleadings
• Drafting standard court documents or correspondence

A personal injury attorney outsources all discovery work to a virtual paralegal who organizes everything, creates draft responses, and prepares case summaries, allowing the attorney to review and finalize the work quickly and efficiently.

Caution on What to Outsource

While many tasks can be safely outsourced, it's essential to draw the line at activities requiring your legal expertise. Legal advice, final reviews, and client consultations are responsibilities that cannot be delegated without violating ethical standards or harming your relationship with clients.

In these instances, a virtual team member can help manage calendars, intake forms, and court appearances, but the attorney must remain ultimately responsible for their work.

Embracing Outsourcing: A Step-by-Step Guide

New to outsourcing? Approach it as a partnership rather than a handoff. Start by delegating tasks that you dislike or don't need to perform yourself, such as calendar management, intake follow-ups, or organizing discovery.

Choose a reliable, U.S.-based provider with experience in the legal field. Create a clear line of communication through platforms like Clio, MyCase, Zoom, and Google Drive, and set expectations, timelines, and deadlines to ensure success.

Avert Red Flags

Not all "legal support" providers are equal. Be wary of providers claiming they can handle legal work without oversight, those unfamiliar with U.S. legal systems, or those requiring excessive hand-holding.

The right virtual paralegal will respect your role, work independently, and make your life easier, not more complicated.

Making Outsourcing Work for You

At Wyzer Staffing, we connect attorneys with skilled virtual paralegals who become long-term, reliable parts of your team. Our goal is to help attorneys without staff or limited help, bringing ongoing support they can trust.

Discover the freedom and flexibility that outsourcing can provide by finding a reliable virtual paralegal who understands your workflow and helps you run your practice smoothly.

1. The intense work pace in family law leads many attorneys to work outside regular business hours, even on evenings and weekends, as stated in the 2023 Legal Trends Report.
2. Outsourcing offers cost-effective support without the financial burden of hiring full-time staff, making it increasingly popular among attorneys.
3. By outsourcing, attorneys can delegate time-consuming tasks like scheduling consultations, email management, client intake, and invoicing, freeing up valuable hours for higher-priority work.
4. One attorney saw a significant increase in productivity after outsourcing email management and scheduling tasks, reclaiming more than 10 hours per week.
5. Outsourcing also includes virtual paralegals who specialize in handling routine legal work, allowing attorneys to focus on strategic elements of their practice.
6. Virtual paralegals can assist with tasks like drafting discovery responses, summarizing depositions, legal research, and drafting standard court documents or correspondence.
7. It's essential to draw the line at activities requiring legal expertise when outsourcing, as legal advice, final reviews, and client consultations are responsibilities that cannot be delegated.
8. A personal injury attorney outsources all discovery work to a virtual paralegal, allowing them to review and finalize work quickly and efficiently.
9. Create a clear line of communication through platforms like Clio, MyCase, Zoom, and Google Drive when outsourcing, and set expectations, timelines, and deadlines to ensure success.
10. Not all legal support providers are equal, and attorneys should be wary of providers claiming they can handle legal work without oversight, those unfamiliar with U.S. legal systems, or those requiring excessive hand-holding.
11. The right virtual paralegal will respect your role, work independently, and make your life easier, not more complicated.
12. The attraction of outsourcing extends beyond family law, as it can also benefit attorneys in personal injury, finance, lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, investing, home-and-garden, business, personal-finance, technology, relationships, education-and-self-development, personal-growth, career-development, learning, skills-training, sports, football, NFL, WNBA, baseball, hockey, golf, sports-betting, basketball, NCAABasketball, MLB, NHL, racing, American football, NBA, Masters, Grand Prix, horse-racing, NCAAFootball, tennis, sports-analysis, auto-racing, and mixed-martial-arts.
13. The increased flexibility and support provided by outsourcing contribute to more balanced lifestyles, allowing attorneys to allocate more time to their personal and family commitments.
14. By outsourcing repetitive tasks, attorneys can devote more attention to their unique expertise and build stronger relationships with their clients.
15. Outsourcing can be particularly beneficial for attorneys who specialize in niche areas, as it provides access to highly skilled virtual paralegals who understand the specific needs of their practice.
16. Embracing outsourcing as a partnership rather than a handoff can lead to long-term, reliable support for attorneys without staff or limited help.
17. Wyzer Staffing connects attorneys with skilled virtual paralegals who become integral parts of their team, providing ongoing support they can trust.
18. Outsourcing allows attorneys to scale their practices without the financial burden of hiring full-time staff, enabling them to take on more clients and grow their business.
19. Effective communication and clear expectations are crucial for the success of an outsourcing partnership, ensuring that tasks are completed efficiently and accurately.
20. The increasing popularity of outsourcing continues to reshape the legal landscape, offering attorneys the opportunity to reclaim their time, improve work-life balance, and focus on essential aspects of their practice.

Read also: