NALS Specialty Certificate allows experienced paralegals to display their expertise in a specialty area of law. To earn this certificate, you must complete at least 50 continuing legal education credit CLE hours within a five-year period in your law specialty of choice. This means you cannot practice law, offer legal advice, or represent clients in court with a few, narrow exceptions. As a freelancer who may provide services for more than one law firm, you must also avoid conflict of interest situations.
For example, if you work for several law firms in the same area of law, you may find yourself providing services for opposing sides of the same case. If there is ever a question about conflict of interest, it is your ethical responsibility to immediately inform both attorneys. This can sometimes lead to muddy waters with regard to what constitutes legal advice or representation. Though providing legal document services in these states is perfectly legal, you are advised to tread carefully if you decide to go this route.
Know the ABA State Bar rules where you live and work, conduct yourself within the parameters of these rules, and protect yourself with business insurance. There are a number of companies that provide business insurance for freelance paralegals. A: Your reputation must remain your top priority as a freelance paralegal. If you lack in any of these areas, your freelancing career may be dead before it even gets off the ground.
Market yourself, get business cards, letterhead, and a good website up and running. Gather up a nice portfolio, draft a services contract, and create and maintain a social media presence.
You may want to begin by working part-time until you develop a nice list of clients before diving full-time into paralegal freelance work. You will find that building a good base clientele is just as much about strong referrals as it is about marketing yourself, so your ability to develop a strong reputation as a skilled paralegal is paramount. Featured Programs:. Request Info. Working as a freelance paralegal may also mean letting go of some of the advantages that come with full-time work as an employee.
For a freelance paralegal, a steady paycheck is never guaranteed. A NALA survey found that nearly 3 percent of all paralegals identified as being self-employed or business owners. The job outlook for paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow 15 percent until , which is faster than the average job growth.
Trained paralegals with strong computer and database management skills will likely have the most job prospects. Caroline is a writer from NYC. By Caroline Haley Updated August 24, Bankruptcy Assistant Training Paralegals Vs. Be brief and specific, and include all essential information, such as your name, address, phone number, and fax number.
As you develop a client list, you may want to include that list with permission of the clients, of course , as well as any comments or quotations from clients, in your brochure. To keep costs down, make your brochure a one-page brochure that can be folded for mailing purposes and easier reading.
Avoid distracting graphics; you project a more professional image if you keep your lettering simple and your copy basic. You can always give additional information and details when you meet a client in person.
A brochure should be an invitation to find out more about you and your services. Remember: In many cases this will be your professional introduction, so make certain that it looks absolutely professional in every way, including professional printing. Take the time to review sample brochures that most printers have available. While you can get started as a freelancer without a brochure, you will market your services with greater ease if you have some printed material to explain what you do.
For mailing purposes, a brochure enclosed with a letter makes your selling job much easier. Order business cards and stationery with your letterhead. If you cannot afford the services of a graphic artist, a good printer can help you with a professional logo or design.
Successful marketing is ultimately a matter of numbers. For every hundred letters or phone calls you make, you may receive only a few responses. In the beginning, you have to develop a reputation. This requires patience on your part; it also requires that you spend time following through or calling back potential clients.
Where do you find these clients? Every organization, whatever its size, is a potential client base if it has a need for the services of a paralegal. You might feel that small, independent practitioners or companies would be your most likely clientele. That is not necessarily the situation.
Many larger firms do have in-house staff, but at certain times, with specific projects, they may have too much work for their regular staff and would welcome the services of a freelance paralegal, particularly one with the specialty they need. To let potential clients know about your services, you must advertise what you have to offer.
This does not mean expensive advertising, particularly in the beginning. Other inexpensive means of advertising include listing your services on the bulletin boards of your local bar association, if permissible, and in newsletters, and having your brochures available for distribution at any large gathering of professionals who could use your services. Whatever the marketing plan you develop, remember that it is essential for you to follow up on everyone who expresses an interest in your services.
Keep a record or log, along with the dates of your meetings, letters, or phone calls. If you are to be successful as a freelance paralegal, potential clients must know who you are and what you can do for them. In other words, you must find ways to gain visibility so that attorneys will have you in mind when they need the services of a freelance paralegal.
Other Important Considerations There are other important issues to consider when planning your career as a freelance paralegal. Getting Paid As a freelancer, you must learn how and when to bill your clients. One of the most difficult aspects of working for yourself is collecting money for services you have performed.
For that reason, it is essential that you re-member some basic points: 1. Explain your fees to your clients and make certain that you agree upon what your reimbursement will be.
Confirm this agreement in writing, so there is no dispute later on or any confusion about the terms you have stipulated. Whether you decide to bill on an hourly basis and you can check either in your community or with your local paralegal association to find out the going rate or charge a flat fee for a specific project, be certain to bill your clients promptly. For lengthy projects, it is wise to bill regularly, every week or two. For a shorter project, send your bill within two weeks of completion of your work.
Unfortunately, no matter how well you plan and set up agreements, there will always be clients with whom you will have problems in collecting your fee, so you must plan for certain losses as a freelancer. You will come to identify and avoid working with such clients. Remaining Professional and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest Review the opening paragraphs of this article that discuss the ethical responsibilities of being a freelance paralegal.
This issue is so important that you must always review your plans and actions to make certain that you are not overstepping your boundaries as a paralegal. Your practice, your professionalism, and your future as a paralegal are at stake. Keep abreast of problems that have faced other freelance paralegals, and learn how they have solved them. Become familiar with your local paralegal association, not only to learn about job opportunities which may exist, but also to find out how to enhance your professional status as a paralegal within the community, whether you decide to work independently, as a freelancer, or within an organization as a full-time paralegal.
Finally, here are some helpful hints and suggestions on becoming a successful freelance paralegal: 1. It is essential to keep accurate, up-to-date records of all income and expenses. You get to set your own hours and decide what work you will perform and when you will perform it.
The job provides a flexible schedule as well as flexibility in who you take on as a client. There are many challenges however, to being an Independent Paralegal. Running a business is hard work, and it is not for everyone. It requires self-discipline, motivation, and a certain amount of understanding of all aspects of owning and running a business, such as taxes, invoicing, accounting, and marketing.
It can also be very challenging to complete legal documents and provide general legal information to the public without crossing the line into practicing law. Independent Paralegals should stay up to date on what is considered the practice of law in their state, and put procedures in place that help ensure they and their employees do not engage in the unauthorized practice of law. A freelance paralegal provides services to attorneys, and may be called a contract paralegal or freelance legal assistant.
Freelance paralegals may prepare any legal document that an attorney could prepare. Experienced freelancers commonly prepare briefs and memorandum of law for the Courts, as well as every day documents such as divorce, adoption, guardianship, or probate pleadings. Many freelance paralegals specialize in just a few areas of the law, and work only for attorneys who practice in those areas. Freelance paralegals are governed by the same laws as paralegals who are employed by an attorney or law firm; namely the unauthorized practice of law statutes and case law which require that legal professionals who are not licensed members of the bar avoid giving legal advice or engaging in any other activity that might be considered practicing law.
Freelance Paralegals in the state of California are also subject to certain educational requirements.
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