Paralegals firm up the law

Joan Herman recently returned from Surrogate's Court, where she researched information on a probate proceeding. While this chore may seem like a hassle to many, this trek to the courts is just one of many tasks that have become part of Herman's everyday routine as a litigation paralegal in Nixon Peabody's Garden City office.

Herman's workday is similar to that of many who are making a career in the fast growing paralegal sector: Looking up documents, sorting through and summarizing records for attorneys, doing prep work on depositions, setting up exhibits, exchanging exhibit and witness lists with "the other side." She basically works closely with the attorneys in her department.

"We want the attorneys to focus on important issues and save time," Herman said. "We make the phone calls, draft letters for them and give them status reports on different cases."

Time becomes an important factor in a law firm. As an attorney's billable hours mount, so does the client's bill. In order to reduce that bill, a paralegal usually shoulders some of the work.

"By way of example, if clients provide you with background information for a case, like invoices or other documents, paralegals can review those documents and summarize them for the attorney," said Jerry Reisman, partner of Reisman, Peirez, Reisman.

"That can save time and money for the client since paralegals work at a reduced billable hour rate."

According to Reisman, a paralegal can bill for $75 per hour to $125 per hour, compared to $150 per hour to $375 per hour for attorneys.

"Paralegals take away the nuts and bolts, and leave attorneys to concentrate on other issues, such as negotiating deals," said Kimberly Lowe, a tax certiorari paralegal at Forchelli, Curto, Schwartz, Mineo, Carlino & Cohn who had spent her morning filing grievance forms in Manhattan.

A growing field

Due to the increased complexity of laws and the increased number of lawsuits, paralegal professionals are expected to be in great demand in years to come. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts there will be 74,000 new paralegal openings nationwide in the next eight years, and that annual salaries will average $45,000 by 2005, compared to $35,115 today.

"The paralegal profession is very highly regarded in the legal profession today," Herman said. "That's something that has evolved over the last five years. There's a respect there. They consider you to be a valuable asset to a law firm."

Part of the new-found respect may be attributed to an increasing number of attorneys working as paralegals to put themselves through law school.

Alberto Torres, a partner in the Manhattan law firm of Torres & Martinez, worked as a paralegal when he was attending New York University.

"I went to law school straight out of college," Torres said. "In my second term, I applied as a temporary paralegal to supplement my income."

Larger firms typically hire temporary paralegals to work on special projects. The paralegals - usually working in the evenings - proofread documents, but cannot read them to determine if there are confidentiality issues.

"Depending on experience and area of specialization, a paralegal can do what an attorney can do without going into court," Torres said, "There's more flexibility in having paralegals. Bigger firms will give paralegals their own offices because they do many of the same tasks as associates."

According to the 1998 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for Nassau and Suffolk counties, there are 1,810 paralegals on Long Island, earning an average $19.33 per hour for an annual salary of about $40,210. This is compared to about 5,410 lawyers, earning an average hourly salary of $36.85 for an annual salary of $76,650. Law clerks, on the other hand, number 250 on Long Island and earn an average $15.79 per hour, or $32,830 annually.

There are eight paralegal programs on Long Island.

"Until 10 years ago, there weren't any degree programs," said Lisa Tunnell, marketing coordinator for the Center for Legal Studies, a nationwide program based in Colorado. "Most universities haven't even gotten to the point where they offer degree programs for paralegals because the profession is so new."

Schools that do not offer degree programs, allow their students to receive certificates upon completion of their courses. Neighboring Queens hosts what is believed to be the only four-year program being offered in the state at St. John's University.

"Often a paralegal will major in something like political science, then specialize in paralegal studies," Tunnell said.

The program has been growing since the 1970s. A better understanding of the profession an the part of attorneys and the public has been the catalyst for the latest boom.

"A lot of paralegals started as legal secretaries," said Lisa Cotto, a bankruptcy paralegal at Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman. "There is a definite distinction between a paralegal and a legal secretary. The legal secretary works for the attorney. The paralegal works with the attorney."

Lauren Kruczko, a graduate of the St. John's program, is a legal assistant in the corporate department at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Schlissel.

Kruczko is responsible for running closings, keeping documents organized and other tasks.

"Sometimes, during the day, you have to do grunt work, such as preparing formation documents for a corporation and getting them filed."

Kruczko recommends paralegals take continuing legal education courses - something that attorneys are typically required to take - to further their knowledge.

"In doing this, you will provide yourself with the opportunity to take on more challenging assignments," she said.

Although she enjoys her profession, she said respect from attorneys is something that "still needs to be worked on."

"We are entitled to full, professional considerations, just as an attorney is," she said. "Sometimes paralegals are put under the umbrella of support staff. This is something organizations need to address."

But not all attorneys view paralegals as being on the second rung of the law firm hierarchy.

"They are invaluable," Reisman said of the paralegals in his office. "They proof documents to make sure they are accurate. They organize files and file papers with the courts."

Rounding out the law firm, the most effective paralegals are professionals with knowledge in many areas.

"As a paralegal, you need to be a problem solver," Kruczko said. "You need to have good analytical skills, be very good with time management, be able to judge multiple tasks and prioritize. You need to have good writing and research skills and need to document your time and meet a certain number of billable hours per year."