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Why is a paralegal involved in my case? This is a question that is frequently asked when a personal injury attorney is hired for a claim. While paralegals are not attorneys, they do assist attorneys in many ways throughout the litigation process. Below is an outline of the different ways a paralegal plays a vital role in a personal injury claim.
Communication
A paralegal assists the attorney assigned to your case with communication with you as the client. He or she are in the office daily to answer in any questions about your case. Attorneys tend to be out of the office often attending court, depositions, mediation, or trial. Typically, paralegals do not attend these events. As such, if you would like an update or you have an update for your attorney, paralegals are the best way to get this information quickly and without delay. While the attorney is responsible for the case and the actions of your assigned paralegal, the paralegals know what is happening with your case at any given time.
Document Management
Personal injury claims are document intensive. What this means is that there are a lot of documents that need to be retrieved, organized, filed with the court, and managed. For example, a paralegal will assist your personal injury attorney is obtaining copies of all your medical records from the different providers you treated with after the incident. In addition, paralegals assist attorneys in filing with the court the various paperwork that is required under Florida law. For example, to initiate a personal injury lawsuit, a complaint must be filed with the court advising the court and the parties involved the allegations of negligence in the claim. A paralegal would assist in the drafting of this document and file the complaint once the attorney has reviewed it and signed the document. A paralegal also keeps the documents organized. Organization is key to a successful personal injury case especially when an attorney is attending court, depositions, or meeting with his or her client.
Scheduling
Throughout your personal injury case, there are several events that may take place during the litigation process. These include court hearing, depositions, mediations, attorney meetings, and even trial. While scheduling may seem simple, the scheduling process can be quite complex. For example, if a hearing before the court needs to be scheduled, the paralegal will need to coordinate such a date with all the attorneys involved in the case and the court. The paralegal would also need to hire a court reporter to attend and transcribe everything that is discussed at the hearing. Once everyone is in agreement on a date, the paralegal must then file certain documents with the court advising all parties of the date and location of the scheduled hearing.
Paralegals are the backbone of a personal injury firm. They wear many hats and are there to not only assist the attorneys in the litigation process, but also keep the clients informed about the status of their case.
At Snedaker Law, we have experienced paralegals who assist our attorneys in the litigation process. If you have been injured in a car accident, call and schedule a free consultation to meet with one of our personal injury attorneys.