Why do I hire paralegals?

2 words come to mind when I think of hiring for my law office’s success. HUMBLE AND
TEACHABLE.

I hire paralegals because overall I find them humble and teachable. Humble does not have
anything to do with competency or mental ability. Being humble allows you to build up from the
inside rather than be puffed up from the outside. Humble means you have a thirst and
appreciation for knowledge. That knowledge brings power so you can help clients. Humble
means accepting that you might not know everything. Not knowing everything is not a weakness
because it allows you to spot issues and ask questions to dig deeper into the problem. Then you
can research the issues with the facts you gathered from your questions. Now you are thinking
out of the box and can bring those ideas to the attention of the attorney to see what can be done
to help the client. Humble means admitting that you made a mistake. Own it, do whatever you
need to fix it and move on.

I remember when I worked in the trust department at Harris Bank as a law student many years
ago. I felt that the more I learned, the more I realized how much more I did not know. I went to
my mentor at the bank and I asked him how to get around this feeling of in adequacy. He said
you don’t have to know everything or pretend to know everything. Just be able to spot issues so
you know how to ask the right questions. Just tell your client that you will get back to them after
you have had a chance to research the issue. 

On this same note, I remember back in law school my real estate professor said in giving us
some of her wise advice in the practice of law. She said “A paralegal with experience is far more
valuable to a firm than an attorney who just passed the bar exam.”

 
That is why I decided to give every future paralegal who comes to my office an opportunity to
intern with us. Allowing them a chance to gain experience and be valuable to a future law firm.
I especially prefer interns from Harper because I know they have learned the skills needed to
research, talk to clients and ask the right questions. They listen and are teachable at our office. 
An internship is also a great opportunity to see if there is a good fit. It is a win-win situation for
both of us.

Being part of an honor society like LEX says to your future legal profession that you have that
love of knowledge. Knowledge that leads to asking questions and having the power needed to
help a future employer and clients.



In summary, I hire paralegals at my office because they are humble, teachable, they listen well,
ask questions, and make clients feel that their case is the most important one that they have by
spotting problems and asking the right questions.