Does Paralegal-Client Privilege Exist?
Does Paralegal-Client Privilege Exist? According to the American Bar Association Rules for Professional Conduct 5.3 it does.
The attorney-client privilege and the corresponding ethical obligations of client confidentiality extends to the paralegal and all non–lawyers working on the case. The Paralegal-client privilege is an extension of the attorney-client privilege.
So, Paralegals are Required to Uphold Client Privilege.
While paralegals are barred from being a participant of the attorney-client privilege, they must behave in a manner that upholds and protects the rights held between an attorney and a client. Paralegals are legally and ethically required to do so.
Is Your Clutter Competing for Your Attention?
Did you know, when your desk is disorganized, your surroundings compete for your attention, resulting in decreased productivity and increased stress levels?
In a study conducted by the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, it was proven that a messy workplace creates competition for our attention, creating a visual “noise.”
The more clutter there is in our minds, the less space there is left for filtering information, switching between tasks and maintaining focus. This leads to confusion and reduced concentration.
The same goes for email clutter. And, believe it or not, an unorganized email inbox can cause just as much confusion as any other kind of cluttered environment.
Did you also know the average person spends up to 15 hours a week managing (reading, replying, sorting) emails? It’s true.
Rachel Coll, Attorney and Relationship Coach
Rachel Coll, is an Attorney, Life & Relationship Coach, and Podcaster. Yes, that is right. Rachel is a lawyer and certified life coach —to the lawyers. Prior to becoming a coach, Rachel spent the bulk of her legal career working as a prosecutor, handling domestic violence and sex offense cases. Rachel still holds licenses to practice law in Washington D.C. and Maryland.
Rachel came to coaching as a client first. This is where she developed her passion for coaching. In her weekly, one on one, sessions Rachel helps attorneys work through the unique challenges they face in their personal and professional lives. Rachel understands the needs of lawyers because she was a practicing lawyer herself for over 12 years.
Check Out our New T-shirt Collection
At Beyond Paralegals, LLC we love what we do and love being paralegals!
Last year we wanted to show off our paralegal pride and contracted a designer to design some fun swag for our team to wear.
Our t-shirts received such positive feedback from our legal community who wanted to purchase them, so we decided to share.
We put a lot of thought into the quality and design of our t-shirts – we wanted them to look just as good with a blazer as they do with jeans.
We hope our t-shirts become your favorite t-shirt to wear!
Check out our full t-shirt collection here.
Visit our Resource Center here.
How Important Is A Defined Workflow?
In an industry where time is money, an efficient workflow is critical to running a successful law firm. Optimizing how your attorneys and staff spend their time can translate to better profit margins for your business.
Taking time to review and update your firm’s processes is an investment not only in your firm but your employees. Ultimately saving your practice time and money.
Most law firms ignore updating processes and continue to operate frustrated with redundant and impractical workflows.
Do all of your attorneys and staff know exactly what is expected of them?
3 Easy Things To Do For Valentines Day
Here are three memorable and easy things to do on Valentines Day. Posted with our busy and hard working legal teams in mind.
1. ENJOY BREAKFAST IN BED: Build a DIY waffle bar and set the coffee pot ahead of time. All you need is some waffle batter, a waffle maker, and all the toppings your hearts desire.
2. TAKE A LONG DRIVE: No destination? No problem. All you need for this fun Valentine’s Day activity is a sense of adventure and a full tank of gas! You’ll both get out of your comfort zones while you explore new terrain. There’s no telling what you might stumble across.
3. WINE AND CHOCOLATE: Both delicious on their own, but even better together! To help here is an chocolate and wine pairings guide to take the guess work out of it: https://lnkd.in/ggWKVJK
Remember Valentines Day lands on a Sunday this year.
Happy Valentines Day!
For other helpful information visit our Resource Center.
Shari Belitz, CEO of Shari Belitz Communications, LLC
Shari Belitz, Esq., is a Nationally Recognized Litigation Consultant, a Keynote Speaker, an Author, the Chief Executive Officer of Shari Belitz Communications LLC, and the Founder of EnPSYCHLAWpedia™.
Shari started her legal career as an insurance coverage attorney at a boutique law firm in Downtown Manhattan in the 1990’s. She later moved to an insurance company where she managed litigation involving complex mass tort lawsuits and class actions for Fortune 500 insured clients for fifteen years. It was during this time, Shari decided to pursue her dream and went back to graduate school to study forensic psychology, including advanced jury research, and science.
Shari has a passion for human behavior, cognitive biases, decision making, and its effects on litigation and trial. It is this same passion that lead to her newest venture “EnPSYCHLAWpedia” The Psychology Methodology for Litigation Education.
Outsourcing Is Not Just for Big Law Firms.
At Beyond Paralegals we help busy law firms and legal departments (both big and small) seeking to increase their in-house capabilities. Our experience in both traditional and modern technology-based services allows us to act as an extension of our client’s businesses by offering reliable and cost-effective project support.
Here are 5 ways we can help you expand your internal bandwidth:
We Give You Access To External Talents and Technology:
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits we offer our clients is giving them immediate access to external talents and technology that may not exist within their law firm.
Does Paralegal-Client Privilege Exist?
According to the American Bar Association Rule 5.3 of the Model Rules it does. The attorney-client privilege and the corresponding ethical obligations of client confidentiality extends to the paralegal and all non–lawyers working on the case. The Paralegal-client privilege is an extension of the attorney-client privilege.
Rule 5.3: Responsibilities Regarding Nonlawyer Assistance
With respect to a nonlawyer employed or retained by or associated with a lawyer:
Ethical Rules for Paralegals and their Supervising Attorneys
At Beyond Paralegals we review NALA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and Guideline 1 of the ABA Model Guidelines for the Utilization of Paralegal Services; annually. Why?
In the legal world, ethical behavior is of the utmost importance. Lawyers and paralegals must represent the highest ethical standards so they can realistically claim to uphold the law.
If paralegals breach legal ethics, serious sanctions can result, including suspension or revocation of your paralegal license, a fine, loss of your job, or, if there was criminal activity, referral to the appropriate authorities.