Legal Manager Or Supervising Attorney

Week 1 Portfolio Assignment
Prepare a job description for each of the different members of a legal team. Include description of the skill that are necessary to manage a paw practice in the age of technology.
Legal Manager or Supervising Attorney.
The Legal Manager’s primary duty is to provide leadership to those beneath him/her and ensure efficient and effective management of their staff and resources in the legal department. If anyone was to have any doubts or questions the Legal manager should be able to address these issues. They are to review all the work submitted by the paralegal and give feedback when necessary. A legal manager should also review all ongoing cases to ensure they are being taken care of properly. A legal manager should
also be able to provide and interpret legal information so that employees in the legal office can be properly trained so the staff can meet the legal requirements to perform their tasks.
A legal manager is also responsible for ensuring that employees are following the law office policies that were put in place to enable proper procedure and protocol. While the paralegals will be assuming the roles of actually drafting the legal documents, the legal manager should be involved in the process to make sure that all their documentation is compliant with all statutory and legal requirements. The main goal of the legal manager or supervising attorney is to provide continuous leadership, supervision, training, and development of the staff to maintain an effective and motivated team. The office manager should have no problems talking in front of a group or giving presentations. In order to successfully obtain this position the candidate must have the following required academic qualification; a bachelor’s degree from and accredited University and a J.D. from an accredited Law School. The legal manager must also be well
versed in all the program suites that are going to be implemented at the law firm including Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, QuickBooks for managing finances, LexisNexis for research and training purposes, and be very comfortable with E-Filing.
Attorney
The attorney’s primary role is very demanding.
The attorney will be expected follow all of the law firm’s policies, the American Bar Associations code of conduct, and local state rules and regulations. The attorney will be expected to meet with potential clients and advise them of their rights and any possible legal recourse they might have. If a client is secured for representation it is up to the attorney to develop a strategy in order to avail in complex disputes and litigation. They will do so by conducting a wide variety of legal research and interpretation to prepare for any upcoming or ongoing legal matters. The attorney will have to be able to work independently and efficiently although they will still be under direct supervision of the legal manager or supervising attorney, it is imperative that they can complete their work on their own. They will be conducting most of the legal research on their own but must be able to interact appropriately with other staff members in the office and outside the office in public settings. They must also be able to multitask by managing multiple projects at a time effectively and efficiently. The attorney should be proficient with the Microsoft Office Suite as most of their work will be drafted using Microsoft Word. They have to also be familiar with Westlaw and
LexisNexis.
Paralegal
The paralegals role will be similar to that of the attorney. They are going to be the backbone of the law firm serving as support to the attorney’s and the legal manager and supervising attorney. A paralegal will be dealing directly with clients and setting up appointments. They will also provide information for the clients when the attorney is not available to do so. A paralegal must have excellent communication skills in order to address any issues or concerns with the client and to be able to relay any messages precisely and effectively. Their others duties will range through the course of their employment. They should be familiar with the laws for their state and how to properly file documents within their court system because they will primarily be filing documents and helping with discovery, researching laws and cases and basically anything that is needed by the attorney for them to perform their job accurately. The basic requirements to become a paralegal is general knowledge or experience with state laws and how the court functions. They might be required to possess an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree but it is not typically required because they can become employed if they have had on the job experience. In this day and age of technology it is imperative that they know how to use the internet and word processing software to get their job done. They should know how to research laws and statutes through the appropriate sources through programs and online databases such as WestLaw and LexisNexis. Of course they are going to have to have knowledge on how to use scanners, printers, and personal computers in order to complete their job.