“Shadowing” the paralegal (what is a “typical” day like?)

Kelsey arrives in the office at 8:20 a.m.  She boots up her computer, takes a sip of her breakfast smoothie and scans the calendar for the day. 

A client intake meeting is scheduled in-house for 9:30 a.m.  Kelsey prints out the questions she has prepared for the new client and reviews them.

She checks with the firm’s receptionist to make the sure the conference room is reserved for the meeting.

Kelsey notices a reminder on the calendar advising that she still hasn’t received some requested information from another client.  She prepares a follow-up letter for signature by her attorney.              

An express package arrives containing medical records for one of the clients.  Kelsey begins preparation of a medical review (also known as a “medical chronology”).

She also has to prepare a Motion to Compel Discovery, as directed by her attorney, as an attorney on the opposite side has been unresponsive to her attorney’s discovery requests (her attorney had requested several documents to aid him in analyzing the case) and has been extremely non-communicative.

Kelsey receives an e-mail from her attorney asking her to perform a background check on one of the parties on the opposing side.  He also asks her to find whatever statutory law she can on the subject of franchise agreement successor rights.  After Kelsey finishes her first draft of the motion, she begins her background check and then searches for the case law.