Most Law & Legal Jobs on Earth - LawCrossing

     

Forgot Your Password?    Remember Me

Try It Now!

EMPLOYERS, POST LEGAL JOBS FOR FREE

ATTORNEYS LAW STUDENTS LEGAL STAFF
Feature
 
Effective Discovery Techniques: Ten Tips for Legal Staff

By Ursula Furi-Perry

It's not just a television channel…discovery is one of the most integral parts of trial preparation, which often doesn't receive the attention it's due from legal staff. ''A lot of people think of discovery as just filling out papers, but it's really everything we do up to the moment of trial,'' explained Diana Orozco, paralegal at Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, P.C. in Connecticut, and member of the Paralegal Task Force at the American Trial Lawyers' Association.

Recent Articles
+ Archives
Effective Discovery Techniques: Ten Tips for Legal Staff
Effective Discovery Techniques: Ten Tips for Legal Staff
+ Enlarge
Discovery is the formal exchange of information between parties; it involves document gathering and organization, as well as establishing the firm's 'road map' and strategies for trial. As essential as discovery is for a win, non-attorney legal staff are often improperly utilized during the process. "The biggest mistake attorneys make is not getting paralegals involved in war-gaming sessions when they go over their strategy," said Dr. Jim Rasicot, renowned trial psychologist and consultant, and owner of Professional Litigation Services in Minnesota. "Paralegals can be extremely helpful because they're often the first to see and file documents." From digesting depositions to reviewing records, from organizing paperwork to helping develop trial strategies, non-attorney legal staff can play a crucial role in trial preparation.

Consider the following tips for discovery involvement:
  1. Be efficient. "Efficiency is important: to do what we do and to do it well," cited Orozco. Legal staff must understand the discovery process, be aware of the deadlines involved, and be able to perform necessary tasks in a timely and effective manner.

  2. Branch out. Discovery often involves sub-contracting: firms may hire outside companies and experts to prepare demonstratives and timelines, or to run electronic discovery, for example. Consider learning to do those tasks on your own, to fill the need for an outsider's involvement. "If paralegals want to increase their worth to a firm and be more important, the more of these areas they can get involved in, the better," Rasicot believes.

  3. See the 'big picture.' "Attorneys need to communicate with paralegals, and likewise," said Orozco. "We need to know what they're thinking on the 'big picture' of the case; what their theories are. If that's not communicated, then we're wondering aimlessly in discovery."

  4. Be involved in strategizing. Rasicot suggests that firms get together as a team and talk about the case, as the trial can benefit from everyone's input. "I'd like to see attorneys use paralegals more often early on, and explain the case better to paralegals," said Rasicot. "I would like to see paralegals involved more in actual trials."

  5. Learn to be electronically savvy. Not only is electronic discovery and document management becoming more widespread at firms, but some courts also prefer or even require that documents be filed electronically. As such, "it's extremely important to know how to run electronics," Rasicot said.

  6. Learn to manage your documents. A good case and document management system, whether computerized or kept up by staff, is essential. Orozco stresses the importance of having one central place to keep all documents-as well as keeping the entire staff in the loop about system management.

  7. Know your rules and terminology. Can you tell the difference between interrogatories and requests for admission? Do you know your jurisdiction's rules of procedure governing the discovery process? "The more you can add to a case, the more your value goes up, and that includes knowing about the law," Rasicot stated. "If you don't understand the process, your value isn't as great."

  8. Stay organized. "The volume of paperwork we can get involved in is [tremendous,]" said Orozco, who manages over 75 medical malpractice cases. "If you're not sure what every single page says, that's crucial."

  9. Stay persistent-and get creative. It's no secret that discovery involves extensive investigation and interviewing, and that can mean some serious roadblocks. "You have to be creative in getting the information you need sometimes," said Orozco, who frequents medical associations for hard-to-find information in some cases. "Think outside the box: if I can't get it from [one place,] where else can I go?"

  10. Understand what's important. "In almost all the trials I do, whether they involve 1000 or two pieces of paper, there's usually ten or less critical documents," said Rasicot. "I can't tell you how many times a paralegal sees a document that ends up being a smoking gun," Rasicot stated. When legal staff are unaware of the importance of a document, it's easy for that document to slip away or go unnoticed. As a result, attorneys and legal staff alike must be able to identify, understand, and keep track of significant documents.

  • Share this story:
  • BlinkList
  • blogmarks
  • del.icio.us
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Sphinn
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Simpy
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Print this article!
  • Faves
  • Furl
  • Netvouz
  • Slashdot
  • Spurl
  • Yahoo! Buzz
SHARE IT: Del.icio.us  Del.icio.us Digg  Digg Newsvine  Newsvine
Printable Version    Printable Version PDF Version    PDF Version Email to a Friend    Email to a Friend
Comment    Post A Comment View Comment    View Comment Discuss    Discuss
Popular Tags
 document management  requests for admission  thinking  management systems  timelines  discovery  Orozco  discovery process  theory  attorneys  Think outside the box  procedures  joins

Featured Testimonials

I found LawCrossing to be very easy to use and helpful in my job search. Thanks.
Jennifer

Facts

LawCrossing Fact #2: Anyone can sign up for a free week-long LawCrossing subscription.

Comments

Article ID: 923    

Article Title: Effective Discovery Techniques: Ten Tips for Legal Staff

Comment not found for this article.

Comment Comment
Rate This Article
   View top rated articles
Sign Up Now

Enjoyed reading this article?
Click here to sign up for News Wire, our weekly newsletter, and you'll receive articles just like this right in your inbox.

Jd Journal - Send Tips
JDJournal

Enter your email address and start getting breaking law firm and legal news right now!



Every Alert

Alert once a day

 

Total Legal Jobs
115,543
New Legal Jobs in Last 7 Days
12,095
LEGAL JOB SEARCH

Job Type:



Browse Jobs by Location:



Employer Type:



Keyword Search:



Show Recruiter Jobs  What's This?
Show Refreshed Jobs  What's This?


+ Advanced Search    + Browse Jobs

+ Search Tips
LawCrossing Job Search
Add to iGoogle
What is LawCrossing?
Who Else Is Ready to Never Have to Worry About Recessions and the Legal Job Market Again?
Why Job Boards Are Evil!
Blow Away Your Competition with LawCrossing
Get More Employers to Respond to Your Applications and Hire You
Why You Are Not Aware of 95% of the Jobs Out There
Why LawCrossing's Marketing Problem is Good For You
Why It is Important to See Every Job Site There is
Private Versus Public Job Boards
Why You Need to Manage Your Job Search in One Place
Who Else Wants Their Phone Ringing Off the Hook With Quality Job Interviews?
Do Not Use Another Job Board Until You Read This
SIGN UP NOW
*Email:  
Only LawCrossing consolidates every job it can find in the legal industry and puts all of the job listings it locates in one place.

  • We have more than 25 times as many legal jobs as any other job board.
  • We list jobs you will not find elsewhere that are hidden in small regional publications and employer websites.
  • We collect jobs from more than 250,000 websites and post them on our site.
  • We do not charge employers to post their listings.
  • We are private, and therefore far fewer people are applying for the jobs on our site than are applying for those on public job boards.
LEGAL JOBS NEAR YOU

Map Search  What's this?

New search feature using US map.  + click here

Looking for a new legal job in your city?
+ click here

Where do you want to work?  + click here
FREE NEWSLETTER
+
A CHANCE TO WIN A NEW BMW
BMW
"The Legal Job Market Researcher" is a weekly newsletter that's absolutely jam packed with jobs, career advice, stories, webinars and more. PLUS, a chance to win a new 2010 BMW 328i sedan in Career Mission's annual car giveaway.
Attorney
Law Student
Legal Staff
  CAREER CONNECT  (From Our Career Blogs)
You feel healthy and strong.
WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

Joe G.

Lawcrossing is the best job site I've ever used!

Tawanda E.

The number of listings on LawCrossing is beyond impressive!

+ More success stories
+ Share your success story with us
Submit GET FREE
JOB ALERTS
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW
Learn about jobs before everyone else does. Studies prove the first people to apply to jobs are the most likely to get them. Sign up for job alerts today BMWand be entered to win a new BMW!
USEFUL LINKS

  US News Law School Rankings 2008

  Lateral Attorney Report
   The Recruiters of BCG Attorney Search


  Legal Job Market: Facts and Figures

  Add LawCrossing to My Favorites
Facebook Twitter
Top 101 Reasons to Sign Up for LawCrossing
Reason 36: You don't have time to be unemployed. So LawCrossing ensures you find out about jobs before anyone else.
  Click here for 100 more reasons  
LawCrossing is the most dependable source for providing jobs to first-year associates.
Tell Us What You Think   
BCG Attorney Search
Real-Time Job Updates
Sign up free and receive new jobs by email as soon as they become available.

First Name


Email


Areas of Practice


Regions of Interest


Search Jobs Direct from Employer Career Pages
 Keywords:
 Location:
 
Free Webinar by Harrison Barnes
To Succeed in Any Job You Need to Create Work

Monday, March 22, 2010 at 1:00 PM PST.
BCG JOB OF THE DAY
Sponsored by
BCG Attorney Search

Location:
Tennessee - Nashville

Description:
Memphis office seeks associates with 2-5 years of experience Corporate and Securities matters. Some exposure to public company representation, including public offerings as issuer's or underwriter's counsel, is preferred.
"A commitment to the philosophy of excellence and superior client service is the foundation of this firm. Its attorneys value the importance of a personalized attorney-client relationship and are dedicated to giving the utmost attention not only to delivering pr...
BMW FREE NEWSLETTER  +  A CHANCE TO WIN A NEW BMW
"The Legal Job Market Researcher" is a weekly newsletter that's absolutely jam packed with jobs, career advice, stories, webinars and more. PLUS, a chance to win a new 2010 BMW 328i sedan in Career Mission's annual car giveaway.

      Attorney   Law Student   Legal Staff    
Today at LawCrossing

573 - Jobs found in last 12 hours 894 - Jobs found in last 24 hours 115,543 - Total Jobs Found
I Love LawCrossing
Your privacy is guaranteed. We will never give out, lease, or sell your personal information. Whitelist LawCrossing
Home  |   Attorneys Channel  |   Law Students Channel  |   Legal Staff Channel  |   About Us  |   History  |   Our Mission  |   Post a Legal Job Opening  |   FAQ  |   Core Values

Browse Jobs  |   How We Help You  |   Our Promise  |   What We'll Never Do  |   Why You Need Us  |   Why We're Not Free  |   Testimonials  |   Career

The LawCrossing Guarantee  |   Press Room  |   Audio Room  |   Videos  |   Benefits of Working with LawCrossing  |   Privacy Policy  |   Terms of Use

Refer A Friend  |   Site Map  |   Law Firm News  |   Career Advice  |   Legal Recruiter  |   Resume Service  |   Resume Distribution Service
Our Company Sites:
Attorney Resume | BCG Attorney Search | JD2B | Judged | Law Firm Staff | Law School Loan Report | Law School Loans | Legal Authority | Legal Authority Financial