You need some extra help in the office. That’s become obvious. You’re staying late, missing sleep, feeling stressed, and missing out on time with your family. Something needs to change, but now you have a choice to make. Do you hire an in-office paralegal, or go with a virtual ILA?
The reality is that you can do both.
This is an especially helpful realization if you’re considering the benefits of having a fellow attorney work remotely for you, and already have great help in-office. ¿Por qué no los dos? Por qué indeed.
Let’s break down the hows and whys of hiring both, the benefits to your firm, and how lawyers can save both time and money by doubling their help.
Let’s begin by stating that in-office paralegals are great. We love them! They’re hard-working, tackle difficult tasks, and have stayed late to help you prepare for trial. Furthermore, many lawyers find themselves attached to an especially good worker.
There are plenty of practical reasons to have someone in the office. It’s simply warmer and more personable to have someone at a desk to greet clients, for one. Your paralegal can also serve as something of a buffer between more emotional clients and your busy schedule. That’s valuable, especially when you have to truly concentrate and simply don’t have time to answer a deluge of important but emotional questions over the phone.
Your in-office paralegal can step out, grab you a coffee or a sandwich, or even mail an item for you on their lunch break. Granted, that can’t happen remotely. So there are plenty of reasons to seek out and keep an excellent paralegal.
But your paralegal can’t handle everything. There are only so many phone calls, motions, emails, and files that a paralegal can review, read, respond to, or compose each day. This is where your ILA can hop in and provide much-needed support. This frees your paralegal to focus on in-office tasks, file reviews, phone calls, and any other assignments (such as coffee runs) that simply work better in person.
The excellent thing about an ILA is that they’re not simply a paralegal. They’re a fellow, accredited attorney who’s handled clients, represented their interests, and gone to trial. These men and women understand what’s at stake for you and the people you advocate for. They’ve already handled a far wider variety of tasks than most legal associates, and will bring a level of care and precision to the job that is truly unmatched.
Your ILA can handle…
All of these tasks are handled securely. Work is submitted through the secure and reliable platform RustDesk, and you can choose any major workflow platform that fits your existing software needs, including Google Workspace, Clio, and TrialWorks.
The only thing they won’t do is advise your clients or represent them legally. As you can see, there are quite a few things your ILA can handle, freeing up in-office support to work with less stress and more efficiency.
And stress reduction is incredibly important. Surveys suggest that rates of burnout for legal support may be as high as 30%. Those are worrying numbers, especially when your goal is to hold on to uniquely talented, efficient, or well-matched help.
Your ILA is the answer. Remember, you don’t have to hire an ILA full-time. If your paralegal only needs ten hours of support per week, that’s what your ILA will offer. If they need 20 hours of help, that’s what your ILA will supply.
We’ll be sure to match you with someone capable, trained in your area of law, and a good match for your firm’s needs. They’ll work when your paralegal works, allowing for collaboration, smoother delegation, and seamless communication, too.
This, in turn, helps reduce the burden on your in-office support. They can dedicate more time to attentive in-person interactions, deep work, and the tasks that normally take up their day. Only now, they’re working more effectively, have the bandwidth for a proper lunch, and go home feeling accomplished instead of stressed.
Your paralegal can even take an afternoon off for a dental appointment, school emergency, or to greet their parents when they’re in town. In fact, one attorney we work with was even able to give herself Fridays off, simply because her work was caught up.
This added freedom lends a human, more flexible element to your paralegal’s job, improving retention, job satisfaction, and motivation, as well.
There are also some serious financial benefits to using both an ILA and an in-office paralegal. In 2024, the median pay for a paralegal in the US was over $61,000. That’s incredibly high. And if you’re already a bit strapped, paying for a second paralegal, even part-time, may simply stretch your budget too thin.
An ILA, in contrast, costs half this salary for full-time work. This frees up your firm’s budget for better in-office pay, marketing, and simply having a healthy financial cushion in the years ahead.
In exchange, you get a capable, efficient worker who can deliver attorney-level support at rates that are sustainable for years to come. Rent, utilities, and groceries won’t get any cheaper in the United States, especially in major cities. But our partnering with overseas attorneys keeps rates competitive for them and reasonable for your law practice.
That’s an absolute win for you and for the men and women excited to work with US-based attorneys. You don’t need to hire a second in-office paralegal. Allow an ILA to save you time, money, training, and stress. We handle the onboarding. You reap the benefits within weeks. All at flat rates that are affordable, scalable, and work with your office’s needs.
There are definite benefits to having a legal assistant in-office. And when you partner with Docket-Works, you can keep your excellent, trusted paralegal while still giving them the support and breathing room they need.
Great help isn’t either-or. It’s both, and when your firm needs someone in-office, we’re here to provide you with a virtual assistant to make their jobs (and yours) far simpler, easier, and better streamlined.
Have questions about whether an ILA might be right for your firm? Reach out to us, schedule a discovery call, and we’ll help you plan out your next steps.
Grace Singh is a writer and editor for DocketWorks. She enjoys bridging services and client needs in ways that are meaningful, memorable, and human-focused, even as technology continues to change. When she’s not at her home office, she enjoys nature walks, reading, and brewing coffee.