One of the first questions attorneys ask when they bring on a virtual paralegal or International Licensed Attorney (ILA) is:
“What should I actually give them?”
And right behind that is usually:
“What should I not give them yet?”
Because the goal isn’t just to delegate, it’s to delegate in a way that actually saves you time.
What we’ve found is that when delegation doesn’t work, it’s usually not because of the person doing the work. It’s because too much is handed off too quickly, or the wrong types of tasks are delegated first.
The best place to start is simple:
What is taking up the most time in your week?
During onboarding, this is one of the main things we ask:
“What is most important to you to delegate immediately? What is bogging you down the most?”
For most attorneys, it’s not the complex legal analysis.
It’s everything around it.
Things like:
These tasks are necessary, but they’re also what tend to interrupt your day the most.
When bringing on a virtual paralegal or ILA, the most effective starting point is work that is:
In many firms, that includes:
As our Director of Client Services, Amber Horos, explains:
“We try to take as much off of the attorney’s plate as possible… especially the more mundane, operational tasks.”
These are the tasks that free up your time quickly without requiring heavy back-and-forth.
A common instinct is to think:
“If I’m bringing someone on, I should just hand off everything I can.”
In practice, that usually slows things down.
As Amber points out:
“You might be asking them to do too many tasks initially… You want to start with a handful and then pause.”
This applies to any new team member—but especially in a remote setup.
Starting small allows:
And ultimately, a faster path to real-time savings.
There are certain tasks we typically recommend holding onto early on. Not permanently, but during the initial ramp-up.
A good example is client intake calls.
Amber Horos explains it this way:
“We typically recommend the intake calls to be done in-house… until they get acclimated to your firm’s culture.”
Why?
Because those interactions often involve:
Once the ILA understands how you operate, those responsibilities can expand.
Once the initial tasks are running smoothly, that’s when you build.
You’ll usually notice:
At that point, you can begin:
This typically happens naturally within the first 30–60 days.
One thing we see often is that attorneys don’t always struggle with explaining tasks; they struggle with identifying them.
As Amber mentions:
“Sometimes, it’s really easy for the attorney to answer the question—but they don’t know off the top of their heads what they even need to relay.”
That’s where having someone guide the process makes a difference.
Instead of trying to figure it out on your own, it becomes a conversation:
From there, delegation becomes much more straightforward.
The most successful firms don’t treat delegation as a one-time handoff.
They treat it as something that evolves:
That’s how you go from:
If you’re considering working with a virtual paralegal or ILA, the question isn’t just what can be delegated; it’s what should be delegated first.
Getting that right is what determines how quickly you start seeing results.
At DocketWorks, a big part of what we do is help attorneys think through that process. What to hand off now, what to hold for later, and how to build from there.
Because when delegation is structured the right way, it doesn’t just reduce workload; it changes how your entire practice operates.
Taylor Teachworth works with the team at DocketWorks to share the systems, strategies, and perspectives that shape how today's law firms operate behind the scenes. Through interviews and thought leadership content, she translates the experience of attorneys and legal professionals into clear, practical insights for firms looking to make their practice work for them.