Five Signs a Freelance Paralegal is Right For Your Firm
If you are a small law firm or run a solo practice, you may struggle with necessary tasks that take you away from your attempt to gain new quality clients, or your actual legal work for billable hours. In the past, you may have felt you had to choose between an inexpensive legal assistant with little to no experience, an expensive paralegal that will require a full salary along with employee benefits, or a non-permanent employee from a temp agency that is not committed to your law firm or does not have a dedication to the long-term success of your law firm. If this sounds familiar, you may be ready for the best of all worlds - a freelance paralegal. The following are five signs a freelance paralegal is right for your firm, and it is time to hire one and bring your law firm to the next level.
You want to save money.
Hiring a freelance paralegal helps you get some of the most essential tasks done without training costs, unemployment taxes, payroll taxes, fringe benefits, office space and equipment, and unproductive hours. Although freelance paralegals may charge more per hour than an in-house hire would cost hourly, over time freelance relationships cost your firm less and help your business reach its bottom line.
At Jaclyn Foster Paralegal Services, LLC, you will never pay a paralegal rate for administrative tasks. You will have the same experienced paralegal fulfilling multiple tasks at interchangeable rates, leaving you with your best profit margins and return on investments.
2. You want quality control.
Oftentimes, hiring from a temp agency will have someone simply assigned to you for your requested tasks. However, hiring a freelance paralegal means that you have quality control regarding the work you will receive from a person that has the exact experience and skills you are looking for. Additionally, you will be getting all of the additional quality without the additional cost of a temp agency or full-time or part-time employee.
At Jaclyn Foster Paralegal Services, LLC, you receive a reputable freelance paralegal highly skilled in the paralegal craft, providing you with immediate quality results and eliminating time and resources spent training in a new employee that may quit for other opportunities.
3. You want a long-term relationship on your terms
You want to ensure that the time you spend explaining your exact needs and how those tasks need to be specifically accomplished do not go to waste. Hiring a freelance paralegal gives you all of the benefits of a long-term relationship, without the extra cost of a temp agency or the costs associated with a full-time or part-time employee at your firm.
I believe the relationship between a law firm and a freelance paralegal is living, breathing, and amendable to your immediate needs. Having a freelancer on your team gives you that “right hand man” on your terms. I am dedicated to learning your firm for the long haul and amending myself to fold and fit into your routine unique way of practice.
4. You don’t have time to micromanage your staff.
You need to grow your firm, obtain quality clients, and make your business profitable. The last thing you need is to micromanage someone, make sure they come into the office on time and continually check on them to see if they are doing the work you requested. When you have a freelance paralegal, you get all of the experience and benefit of a paralegal, without the expense of the precious resource of your time. Freelance paralegals often work evening and weekend hours and are not bound by normal 9-5 work schedules.
Most freelance paralegals with a small firm background are exceptionally gifted with their time management skills as they typically worked for several different attorneys at once due to understaffing. As an experienced freelance paralegal with that exact background, I will ensure that all your tasks are done in a timely manner so as to meet deadlines, exactly the way you need them to be, without costing you in unproductive hours. This leaves you time to concentrate on your law firm’s visibility and profitability.
5. You need help and you need it now.
If you are a growing law firm or a small firm in a tight knit community, you need help with the tasks a freelance paralegal can perform so that you can spend time developing a client base and visiting with potential new clients. Your work fluctuation may change through the seasons, and that is why a freelance paralegal gives you the access to immediate, dedicated help while leaving you chain free when your work load slows down periodically.
My background is in small and solo law firms. I have always had a strong passion for small law firms and their unique way of practice, and have dedicated my career to serving the same. You need to focus on the development and profitability of your business, your diligent representation of your clients, your court appearances, and networking all while still producing the necessary legal work to support your case progressions and giving them a competitive edge. I believe that hiring a freelance paralegal is the solution.
Contact Jaclyn Foster Paralegal Services, LLC today