Questions to Ask a Paralegal
Questions for the paralegal working on your legal matter, covering who handles what, billing, documents, dates, and what to do between hearings. Written for clients who want to use their legal team well and keep costs down.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What is your role on my case, and what will you handle rather than the attorney?
Why ask it
Worth asking on the first call. Most of your day to day contact will be here, and knowing the split stops you from waiting on the attorney for things the paralegal can do today.
What is the best way to reach you, and when should I expect to hear back?
Why ask it
Ask for a normal response time rather than a promise. A firm that says two business days and means it is easier to live with than one that says anytime and goes quiet.
Which questions should I bring to you, and which need the attorney?
Why ask it
Paralegals cannot give legal advice, and asking them to puts them in a difficult position. Getting the sorting rule early saves both of you repeated awkward conversations.
Is your time billed to my case, and at what rate?
Why ask it
Paralegal time is usually billed, at a lower rate than the attorney's. Knowing this lets you use the cheaper resource deliberately instead of by accident.
What documents do you need from me, and by when?
Why ask it
Ask for the list in writing. Client delay in producing documents is one of the most common reasons a matter sits still and costs more than it needed to.
How should I send you things, and how will you send them to me?
Why ask it
Secure portal, encrypted email, or paper: get this settled before you send anything sensitive. It also tells you how organized the firm is.
What are the next dates on my case?
Why ask it
You want the actual calendar: filing deadlines, hearings, response dates. Keeping your own copy means you can notice if something slips.
How will I know when something has been filed?
Why ask it
Some firms send confirmations automatically and some only if you ask. Agreeing this once removes a lot of anxious phone calls later.
What usually slows down a case like mine?
Why ask it
Court backlogs, waiting on the other side, records that take weeks to arrive. Hearing the common causes in advance makes the quiet stretches easier to sit through.
What should I do if the other side, or their lawyer, contacts me directly?
Why ask it
The answer is almost always to say nothing and forward it. Asking now, while nothing is happening, means you will know what to do in the moment when it is.
Who else at the firm will see my file?
Why ask it
Files are usually visible to a team, and that is normal. If anything in yours is especially sensitive, this is the moment to say so and ask how access is limited.
How do you keep my information secure?
Why ask it
Look for concrete practices: a client portal instead of email attachments, access controls, retention rules. This matters most if your matter involves financial or medical records.
Can you walk me through what happens at the next hearing, practically?
Why ask it
Where to park, when to arrive, what to wear, who speaks, how long it usually lasts. Paralegals are often better than attorneys at this, and it removes most of the dread.
What does the attorney need from me before our next meeting?
Why ask it
Preparation reduces billed time. Asking the paralegal rather than the attorney usually gets you a more specific list and costs less.
What is the most common mistake clients make in a case like this?
Why ask it
Missed signatures, posting online, spending down an account, talking to the other party. A short honest answer here can save you months.
If something urgent happens in the evening or at a weekend, what should I do?
Why ask it
Establish now whether there is any after hours route and what genuinely counts as urgent. Most matters have no emergency line, and knowing that in advance is better than discovering it.
How do I get copies of everything in my file?
Why ask it
Ask about the process and any cost while the relationship is easy. It matters most if you ever change firms, and it is a harder conversation then.
If my case is reassigned to someone else, how will I find out?
Why ask it
Staff turnover is common and continuity is your problem more than the firm's. Asking signals that you expect to be told rather than left to notice.
Looking at my file, what stands out to you as unclear or missing?
Why ask it
Paralegals read the whole file closely, often more closely than anyone else. This invites the practical gaps to surface before they become a problem.
What would you want to know about my situation that I have not told you?
Why ask it
Clients routinely withhold something they think is irrelevant or embarrassing. Opening the door once, plainly, is usually enough for it to come out.
Working with the paralegal on your case
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
What a paralegal can and cannot do
- A paralegal works under an attorney's supervision. They can explain procedure, prepare documents, gather records and tell you what happens next; they cannot advise you on what to do or represent you.
- If a question begins with should I, it is probably one for the attorney. If it begins with when, where, how or what happens next, the paralegal can usually answer it faster.
- Their time is normally billed to your matter at a lower hourly rate than the attorney's. Routing routine questions to them is not an imposition, it is usually cheaper for you.
- Independent paralegals and legal document preparers who work directly with the public are regulated differently from state to state. If nobody supervising is a licensed attorney, confirm what your jurisdiction permits before you pay for anything.
Making the relationship work
- Keep one running list of questions and send it at intervals rather than sending each one as it occurs to you. Every call and email is a billing entry.
- Keep your own copy of the calendar and of every document you send. It takes minutes and it removes any dispute about what was provided when.
- Answer document requests in one complete batch. Partial responses double the handling and are the most common source of avoidable delay.
- Tell them how you prefer to receive news, including bad news, and whether you want to be called or emailed.
If things are not going well
- If you cannot get a reply for more than a week, contact the supervising attorney directly and say plainly that you are not getting responses.
- If you are asked for legal advice you cannot get, or you are told something that contradicts what the attorney said, write down both versions with dates and raise it once, calmly.
- You are entitled to understand your own bill. Ask for the detailed entries if a total surprises you.
- Complaints about the conduct of a licensed attorney go to your state bar. A paralegal's conduct is the supervising attorney's responsibility, so start there.