Civil Rights
Block on Trump's Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court
At a time when digital assistants can talk, it's still a good idea to have a real-live person talk to clients.
Unfortunately, too many lawyers do not communicate enough with their clients. The "too much work, not enough time" excuse only goes so far -- especially with the State Bar.
Try this instead: Say "hello" to your paralegals and let them do the talking. Training them to communicate with clients could start here.
Say This
Paralegals can talk to clients about many things. From hand-holding to substantive matters, it's about professional interaction. Here are a few pointers:
They can relay information from a lawyer, too. For example, a paralegal can tell a client what a lawyer will do in a deposition, hearing or trial.
Not That
But paralegals cannot give legal advice. That would be practicing law without a license. Here are some examples:
The nutshell is, paralegals should not tell clients what to do about the law. Legal procedures, like meeting deadlines for responses, yes; legal analysis, no.
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