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Survey Results

LAMA Legal Assistant Utilization Survey

Report created on: January 13, 2005 		    

    

PART 1
General Information on Legal Assistant/Paralegal Utilization

    
1. ORGANIZATION PROFILE Type of organization for which you are responding:
1
Main Office Only 		2
Branch Office Only 		3
Practice Department Only 		4
Entire Firm or Organization
1. Law Firm 30%
19 		24%
15 		10%
6 		37%
23
2. Government Agency 100%
2 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0
3. Corporation 20%
2 		30%
3 		0%
0 		50%
5

    
2. ORGANIZATION PROFILE How are legal assistants/paralegals assigned within your firm or organization? (Check all that apply.)

To a practice area, working group or department


58
77%
From a general assignment pool
11 15%
To a specific client or matter
14 19%
To a specific attorney or group of attorneys
23 31%
Other, Please Specify
3 4%

    
3. ORGANIZATION PROFILE Please indicate the practice areas in your organization in which legal assistants/paralegals are utilized. (Check all that apply.)

Litigation


70
93%
Labor/Employment
42 56%
Real Estate
44 59%
Corporate
64 85%
Trusts & Estates
34 45%
Environmental
41 55%
Medical Malpractice
17 23%
Insurance Law
31 41%
Bankruptcy
48 64%
Family Law
10 13%
Immigration
17 23%
Intellectual Property
48 64%
Blue Sky/Securities
33 44%
Communications
15 20%
Regulatory Practices
32 43%
International
25 33%
Tax
31 41%
E-Commerce
13 17%
Other, Please Specify
13 17%

    
4. ORGANIZATION PROFILE To whom does the Legal Assistant/Paralegal Manager Report? (Check all that apply.)

Office Manager/Administrator


21
28%
Managing Partner
19 25%
Administrative Partner
6 8%
Attorney in charge of Practice Area
23 31%
Executive Committee
1 1%
Executive/Firm Director/CEO/COO
13 17%
Legal Assistant/Paralegal Committee
5 7%
General Counsel
2 3%
Human Resources Director/Personnel Director
17 23%
Other, Please Specify
15 20%

    
5. ORGANIZATION PROFILE How many attorneys and legal assistants/paralegals are there in the organization for which you are responding?
1
0-20 		2
21-50 		3
51-100 		4
101-200 		5
201-300 		6
301-400 		7
401-500 		8
Over 500
1. Attorneys 8%
6 		12%
9 		17%
13 		28%
21 		11%
8 		8%
6 		7%
5 		9%
7
2. Legal Assistants/Paralegals 36%
27 		28%
21 		23%
17 		8%
6 		4%
3 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0

    
6. MANAGER ROLE How would you best describe your job position with your organization?

Full time legal assistant supervisor/manager


24
32%
Working supervisor/manager
27 36%
Senior legal assistant/case manager with administrative duties
5 7%
Manager with multiple administrative roles within your organization
18 24%
  74 100%

    
7. MANAGER ROLE On what, if any, committees do you serve within your organization? (Check all that apply.)

Management committee


14
19%
Legal Assistant/Paralegal committee
35 48%
Recruiting committee
15 21%
Marketing committee
5 7%
Pro Bono committee
2 3%
Technology committee
13 18%
Litigation Support committee
15 21%
Knowledge Management committee
5 7%
Library committee
5 7%
Training committee
15 21%
None
21 29%
Other, Please Specify
13 18%

    
8. MANAGER ROLE If you are a working manager or senior legal assistant/case manager, what is your annual billable requirement?

N/A


40
56%
None
9 13%
Under 500 hours/year
3 4%
Between 500-1000 hours/year
8 11%
Over 1000 hours/year
11 15%
  71 100%

    
9. BILLING Do the legal assistants/paralegals have a billable requirement? (Please answer for the majority of your staff)

No


19
25%
Yes, but set individually
3 4%
Yes, below 1500 hours/year
8 11%
Yes, 1500-1599 hours/year
16 21%
Yes, 1600-1799 hours/year
27 36%
Yes, 1800-2000 hours/year
2 3%
Yes, above 2000 hours/year
0 0%
  75 100%

    
10. BILLING Please check all statements that apply to your organization.

The billable requirement is expected of all legal assistants/paralegals regardless of their practice area or specialty.


46
70%
The billable requirement varies between specialty areas or practice groups.
16 24%
Bonuses are based at least in part on meeting or exceeding the billable requirement.
32 48%
Billable requirements do not factor into bonuses.
23 35%
Non-billable work is defined by the legal assistant/paralegal.
13 20%
Non-billable work is defined by the billing attorney.
32 48%
Non-billable work is defined by the legal assistant manager.
23 35%
Certain non-billable work can be counted toward the billable requirement.
35 53%
Non-billable work cannot be counted toward the billable requirement.
16 24%
Pro Bono work counts as billable work.
35 53%
Special project work (such as marketing, recruiting, mentoring, etc.) is considered non-billable work and is not counted toward the billable requirement.
32 48%

    
11. BILLING Generally speaking, what percentage of legal assistant/paralegal time is spent on the following:
1
0-10% 		2
11-20% 		3
21-30% 		4
31-40% 		5
41-50% 		6
51-60% 		7
61-70% 		8
71-80% 		9
81-90% 		10
91-100% 		N/A
1. Billable client work 0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		1%
1 		0%
0 		3%
2 		11%
8 		31%
22 		36%
26 		14%
10 		4%
3
2. Non-billable legal work such as Pro Bono cases 64%
44 		16%
11 		1%
1 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		19%
13
3. Non-billable administrative work 65%
47 		24%
17 		3%
2 		1%
1 		0%
0 		1%
1 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		6%
4
4. Training and continuing education 79%
57 		14%
10 		1%
1 		0%
0 		1%
1 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		0%
0 		4%
3

    
12. BILLING Can the legal assistant/paralegal delegate non-billable or administrative work to someone else?
1
Always 		2
Usually 		3
Sometimes 		4
Seldom 		5
Never 		N/A
1. To a Secretary or Word Processing Department 14%
10 		34%
24 		36%
25 		4%
3 		1%
1 		10%
7
2. To a Project Assistant 7%
5 		22%
15 		32%
22 		4%
3 		1%
1 		32%
22
3. To a Vendor 3%
2 		10%
7 		43%
29 		10%
7 		9%
6 		24%
16

    
13. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT/MARKETING Does your firm or organization support the following for legal assistant managers or legal assistants/paralegals?
1
Supports and pays costs 		2
Supports but does not pay costs 		3
Does not support 		N/A
1. Membership in LAMA 97%
73 		3%
2 		0%
0 		0%
0
2. Attendance at LAMA Conference 81%
60 		8%
6 		4%
3 		7%
5
3. Membership in paralegal associations 82%
61 		9%
7 		0%
0 		8%
6
4. Attendance at paralegal association conferences 58%
41 		18%
13 		4%
3 		20%
14
5. Membership in ALA 31%
22 		7%
5 		11%
8 		51%
36
6. Attendance at ALA Conference 19%
13 		14%
10 		13%
9 		54%
38
7. Membership in SHRM 13%
9 		9%
6 		13%
9 		65%
45
8. Membership in other professional associations 66%
44 		9%
6 		6%
4 		19%
13
9. Professional seminars, in-house 93%
70 		1%
1 		0%
0 		5%
4
10. Professional seminars, outside 91%
68 		4%
3 		0%
0 		5%
4
11. Committee or officer participation in professional associations