Why Talented Paralegals are so Hard to Find (and how you can find them)
No law firm is completely immune from the talent shortage. Just like our body, we have to develop specialized “cells” in order to fight against a horrible and unwanted pathogen. Some lawyers and law firm managers feel that developing those specialized “cells” involves refining and enhancing their hiring process. What they are failing to remember is that we are not dealing with an overcrowded market of poor talent. We are dealing with a shortage of talent in the traditional W2 employment market.
Accordingly, our best defense for fighting this shortage will come when we turn on our offense, and locate the highly qualified, professional paralegals that are out there waiting to join a law firm itching for growth and profitability.
HOW THE PARALEGAL CAREER IS EVOLVING
In 1997, “The American Bar Association (ABA) updated its legal assistant definition to include paralegal.” (Source) In 2018, The National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. (NFPA) began the conversation on reviewing this definition, and requesting a change be made to not use the term “Legal Assistant” and “Paralegal” interchangeably. (Source)
“In February 202, ABA Resolution 102B adopted changes to the definition of paralegal to be more reflective of the current terminology used by the legal community. This amendment eliminates the term “legal assistant” from the definition of “paralegal” and no longer identifies both terms as an interchangeable reference.” (ie.)
The paralegal profession is rapidly changing to great heights. We are even seeing paralegals becoming licensed professionals and bridge the “Access to Justice” gap.
The goal of NFPA is to enhance and promote the effective use of paralegals in the delivery of legal services. They are on a mission to advance the profession, and paralegals are loving it.
WHERE ARE THE ADVANCED PARALEGALS GOING?
Paralegals are starting to explore various options within their careers. As they are merging into their senior level career, they’re noticing a troubling reality that the earning potential as a “traditional” paralegal has its cap. The top salary a paralegal can realistically make is around $100,000 per year in certain industries. Though that earning potential is nothing to scoff at, it is a number most general practice paralegals will never see. Most senior level paralegals are topping out around $65,000 per year.
For many years prior the the ABA giving the paralegal the professional distinction in which it deserved, paralegals have felt desperate to have their profession viewed and respected for what it was. Similar to a nurse practitioner, most paralegals never had any intentions of going to law school. The paralegal profession was the one they chose and entered. Though for some reason, paralegals are mistakenly viewed as the “didn’t quite make it” professionals in in comparison to the lawyers they support.
Now more than ever, paralegals are exploring various career shifts that can allow them those earning potentials they so desire. The Limited License Legal Technician is one of those options, but the most popular avenue in which they are exploring is the contracted space.
WHAT IS A CONTRACTED PARALEGAL & WHY IS IT A LUCRATIVE CAREER CHOICE?
A contracted paralegal is a paralegal that has decided to offer his or her services to lawyers on a 1099, contracted and as-needed basis. The law firm does not provide benefits, taxes, equipment, or office space. Likewise, the paralegal is able to dictate where they work, what time they work, and what cases they want to work on.
Paralegals, especially those entering their senior level paralegal career, are finding that through contract work, they can establish themselves at the top of their profession and be compensated accordingly. They are able to scale their businesses to margins of profitability they could have never imagined working in-firm. They can continue to grow their client list and build a team around them.
WHY LAW FIRMS SHOULD HIRE CONTRACTED PARALEGALS
No law firm is completely immune from the talent shortage. Accordingly, our best defense for fighting this shortage will come when we turn on our offense, and locate the highly qualified, professional paralegals that are out there waiting to join a law firm itching for growth and profitability.
The paralegals that opt into contract work full time are heightened professionals with a strong sense of customer experience, dependability, quality work, and a skill set that most law firms never come by in their local geographical market.
We ask ourselves, “Where did all the talented paralegals go?” We fail to realize the answer is right in front of us. They’re here, working as freelance paralegals and ready to join your firm as a highly qualified and well sought after talented professional.
Similar to lawyers leaving their corporate jobs or associate roles in large firms to open up their own solo practice or small law firm, paralegals are creating contracting firms. They are no longer applying for 9 to 5 positions at the national average salary (or less). They’re building their businesses and opening their doors for you to access them.
WHY YOU SHOULD HIRE A CONTRACTED PARALEGAL NOW
The good (even great) news is, lawyers across the nation are benefiting from this wave of change as well. It isn’t bad news I am delivering, it is fantastic news.
Small and solo law firms that opt into utilizing freelance paralegals on a 1099 basis can experience savings of over $20,000 per year with the right strategy in place. 1099 paralegals help you save on unproductive/unneeded hours, state and federal taxes, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, fringe benefits, office space, equipment, and retention (just to name a few).
Small and solo law firms that have a tight geographical market can now access paralegals with senior level experience. Gone are the days of being limited to the candidates within close proximity to your law firm. As a result, lawyers can enjoy the ability to offload their most complex work and find a new sense of confidence in their support staff.
Solo attorneys and small law firms experience extreme moments of “feast or famine.” Contracted paralegals offer a variety of options that provide you with flexibility during those ebb and flows. This flexibility comes with the reassurance that you have a dedicated support staff behind you, unlike W2 employees that will seek out employment elsewhere.
LEVERAGING CONTRACT PARALEGALS FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
Finally, and most importantly, you now have the option to incrementally sustain the work that results from your law firms’ growth. Law firms have to be ready to sustain the growth in which they are trying to attract. If they don’t, they run into issues of malpractice, profit instability and overall inconsistency in the long-term scalability of the company.
When the marketing efforts for a law firm are working and the lawyer is scheduling voluminous new (and prequalified) client consultations, it usually results in having to slow that marketing down due to the lack of staff to support that influx of new cases. The firm then does not receive a high volume of new client leads until they’re ready to turn it back on.
The “push forward to attract and pull back to sustain” marketing tactics to sustain the work that is rushing in breaks the well-known marketing law of consistency. Lawyers find themselves trapped in this incredibly vicious cycle.
HIRE JACLYN FOSTER PARALEGAL GROUP, LLC
The solution is what we provide at Jaclyn Foster Paralegal Group, LLC. We focus on sustaining the growth that you are attracting, without forcing the fear of overpromising to employees should the market “ebb” your workflow for reasons even beyond your control. Sustainable growth is our theme and main focus.
We offer recruiting services to solo attorneys and small law firms nationwide. Our process implements business consulting and strategy right from the start to identify the most innovative, resourceful and affordable staffing structure for your law firm.
We bring you top level paralegals on a 1099 or W-2 basis with zero upfront costs. This gives you the ability to have a highly capable and brilliant team so you can focus on what increases the profitability of your practice.
We offer virtual senior level paralegals on a 1099 contracted basis. We offer a variety of contracts to solo attorneys and small law firms in every practice area across the nation. This provides our clients with the option to supplement their legal staffing needs and maintain consistent support at an affordable cost. Many of our clients are saving more than $20,000.00 per year by opting into hiring contractor work. This route provides law firms with greater flexibility and choice on how they will staff their brick and mortar. You don’t need to sacrifice your desired skill level of your employees. This is your solution.
During our initial consultation, we go through a trusted formula to make a solid business decision based upon strategy and innovation, providing complete insight to your staffing needs and annual costs.