Hmm, pretty right-on discussion from law firm coach Cheryl J. Leone:
"Having learned one thing during my 42 years of law office management simply is this: Lawyers and paralegals don’t talk the same language and they don’t think the same way. They live on different planets, breath different air, and they even have different customs. Yet, if there is ever a time and a place and a need for both people to be on the same page, it is with the relationship and communication skills that exist between lawyers and paralegals.
[snip]
"Lawyers tend to under-estimate the project, tend to assume that the paralegal understands what needs to be done, doesn’t allow time for questions, doesn’t give information, and then when the project is not delivered as the lawyer thought tends to judge the paralegal on lack of performance. It all started with the message.
[snip]
HOW TO CHANGE A NON-WORKING RELATIONSHIP
"You might start by asking your lawyer to read this article. At the very least it tells the lawyer you want a new tomorrow – a good professional working relationship. There are always exceptions to the rule but I tend to find that lawyers want to be good leaders, good employers, and want to improve the process so they become efficient. Paralegals need to stop being enablers and be leaders with their lawyers."
