Jason Stephens | February 16, 2024 | Personal Injury
Two important roles in the support team of a personal injury law firm are paralegals and case managers. These professionals handle a range of tasks to assist lawyers with cases and free up their time for tasks that require their expertise.
The role of a paralegal and case manager has a lot of overlap. These roles may have duties that overlap, and one person can even be both a case manager and paralegal for a law firm if they are qualified. However, there are some tasks that only a paralegal will handle.
Here’s the difference between personal injury case managers and paralegals and the different duties they have in regard to your case.
What Does a Personal Injury Case Manager Do?
An attorney case manager is responsible for handling the administrative aspect of each case. Their role depends on the law firm – smaller law firms may have case managers handling client intake, for example, instead of an intake specialist. Their job requires no legal training.
Common tasks performed by a personal injury case manager include:
- Initial client intake interview to gather preliminary information
- Maintaining organized, accessible files for each case
- Updating clients and authorized parties about the case
- Ordering copies of medical records
- Obtaining employment records used to document and estimate lost wages and future lost earnings
- Setting up appointments between clients and their attorney
- Preparing the settlement demand for the attorney to review
- Preparing Letters of Protection for clients to set up medical liens with medical providers
You may communicate fairly often with the case manager assigned to your injury case. The case manager is usually the one to update clients on case progress or updates like scheduled hearings. They are the primary liaison between you, health care providers, and your personal injury lawyer.
What Does a Paralegal Do?
A paralegal is not an attorney, but they have the legal training, work experience, or education to work under the direction of an attorney. Paralegals or legal assistants may have a certificate, associate’s degree, or even a bachelor’s degree.
Paralegals are qualified to handle delegated legal work that requires knowledge of specific legal procedures and principles. Paralegals can perform the same tasks as case managers, but they are trained to perform duties a case manager cannot.
Common paralegal duties include:
- Assisting an attorney with preparing questions for interrogatories and depositions
- Assisting with trial preparation, such as preparing trial exhibits
- Finding and interviewing witnesses
- Preparing clients and witnesses for depositions
- Writing briefs and pleadings
- Documenting damages
- Reviewing medical records
- Scheduling legal proceedings like court hearings and depositions
- Researching legal questions under an attorney’s direction and preparing legal memos
- Performing common clerical services and arranging travel
- Continuing their legal education and pursuing a specialty
A paralegal cannot give legal advice, negotiate a settlement agreement, or accept a case. Their work must be reviewed and approved by the attorney handling the case.
Case Managers and Paralegals Are Critical Support Staff
When a law firm uses paralegals and case managers correctly, they can provide an optimal level of care to clients. Support staff can handle administrative and legal tasks that do not require your lawyer’s expertise. This frees your lawyer to focus on your case strategy and other crucial details.
At Stephens Law, our team includes friendly case managers and paralegals dedicated to supporting clients through every step of their case.
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm in Fort Worth, TX
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Fort Worth and need legal help, contact our Fort Worth personal injury lawyers at Stephens Law Personal Injury | Wrongful Death | Truck Accidents to schedule a free consultation.
Stephens Law Personal Injury | Wrongful Death | Truck Accidents
1300 S University Dr # 300
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 420-7000
Stephens Law Personal Injury | Wrongful Death | Truck Accidents
109 York Ave Suite #201
Weatherford, TX 76086
(817) 409-7000