Knowing When to Partner with an External Paralegal
For many solo attorneys and small firms, the decision to bring in outside help doesn’t come from one big moment—it comes from a series of small ones: a late-night formatting scramble, a motion that could’ve been filed sooner, or another calendar alert that collides with client meetings or court.
These moments often signal what attorneys already know: their time is better spent practicing law than tracking deadlines, redrafting pleadings, or formatting filings. That’s where an external paralegal becomes not just helpful—but strategic.
According to a report by the ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, solo and small-firm practitioners cite time constraints, staffing gaps, and administrative overload as top stressors in their practice. Freelance paralegals directly address these gaps. A 2019 Clio Legal Trends Report also found that lawyers spend only 2.5 hours per day on billable work. Delegating procedural and administrative tasks to a skilled external paralegal can increase billable time, reduce burnout, and raise overall firm productivity.
But how do you know if the return is worth the investment?
You can start with three questions:
Is your caseload growing but your bandwidth isn't?
Are administrative tasks cutting into your billable time?
Would an experienced hand help you move faster, without sacrificing quality?
If the answer is yes to any of these, the ROI often becomes clear. Hiring an external paralegal means you're not just outsourcing work—you're reclaiming your time, preserving energy for advocacy, and setting up your practice to run with greater clarity and consistency.
At Casewell, we believe legal support should feel like a true extension of your practice—not a plug-in, not a compromise, but a professional partnership that grows with your needs.