You have got to read The DuPont Legal Model, an article published in the November/December issue of Legal Assistant Today. It describes one of the best ways to utilize paralegal skills inside a corporate department (& with outside law firms), that I’ve ever heard of.
Really!
“From the attorney’s perspective, ‘The utilization model impacts the legal work favorably,’ said Ross Schmucki, corporate counsel in litigation. ‘ Marybeth [Davies] is running a program that empowers paralegals to use their skills at the highest possible level. ’Schmucki echoed the theme at DuPont that the legal team universally endorses paralegal utilization. ‘Paralegals are capable, intelligent professionals, and we want to apply their talents at the highest level,’ he said. Litigation paralegals, for example, work closely with primary law firms in a partnership, frequently acting as liaisons with outside counsel for DuPont employees and as full members of the PLF’s team. They also are employed in a variety of in-house roles, from providing reports to upper management and supervising document productions to independently managing claims.”
Oh, by the way, PLFs are “primary law firms”!
Find that information — & more — about DuPont’s competitive edge in this article….