Frequently Asked Questions 

You may have questions about how my services may be value to you and your firm. I have tried to list the most common questions you may have below. If you have a question that is not listed below you may post the question by clicking here. 
 

❖ What is a paralegal?

A professional paralegal is a person, qualified through education, training or work experience, to perform substantive legal work that requires knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer. This person may be retained or employed by a lawyer, law office or governmental agency.

 

❖ What is a litigation paralegal?

A litigation paralegal provides ongoing legal support for litigation and trial attorneys in criminal and civil actions. He/she prepares legal pleadings and other court documents, interviews witnesses, gathers and organizes pertinent case exhibits and helps litigators manage claims from inception through discovery, mediation, settlement or trial.

 

❖ What is a virtual paralegal?

A virtual paralegal, also called a freelance paralegal, is a professional legal assistant who provides remote support services to attorneys. Virtual paralegals use telephones, email, snail mail, fax machines and the Internet to support any task related to a legal case.

As an independent contractor, a virtual paralegal is not an employee of your law firm, but rather a separate business owner responsible for his/her own training, equipment, taxes and health benefits. Virtual paralegals can handle entire matters or any piece of a lawsuit – it all depends on the needs of your firm.

 

❖ Why should I outsource my legal work to a paralegal?

There may be periods when your workload increases dramatically, but not enough to warrant taking on the expense and responsibility of hiring a full-time paralegal. A virtual paralegal can support you directly by providing seamless backup support for your in-house staff.

 

❖ Where are you located?

I are located at #43 Comprehensive Road, 7th Avenue MAlick, Baratraia and I can work remotely for a number of attorneys and law firms. However, since I do most of my legal work remotely, I can also assist litigation attorneys all over the country from my home office.

 

❖ Do you provide legal services to the public?

No. In an effort to stay on the right side of Trinidad's unauthorized practice of law statutes, I do not provide legal services to the general public, suspended or disbarred attorneys or other non-lawyers.

I do, however, provide non-legal support services to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

 

❖ How are services priced?

A Class Paralegal offers two hourly rates:  a lower rate for administrative and secretarial services, and a higher rate for more substantive paralegal work involving drafting and research tasks. The rate category is agreed upon at the time each project is assigned. Time is billed to the nearest 15 minute increment. Any expenses or costs incurred for a project are itemized separately. Routine office supplies are the responsibility of A Class Paralegal and are not billed to clients.

Cost saving retainer rates are also available, to assure clients have a set block of time set aside for their work every month. Utilizing a retainer guarantees that A Class Paralegal will be available for your work, and saves you money because retainers are priced at a discounted rate.

You can pay once a month (on the 1st) or split the monthly retainer into two payments (on the 1st and 15th).

 

❖ How would we communicate?

Frequent and clear communication is the basis of a productive working relationship. Your virtual paralegal can communicate with you by any means you prefer, be it email, telephone, fax. Documents can be transmitted back and forth via fax, email or via secure web-based document sharing.

 

❖ How can I be sure my confidential data is secure?

At A Class Paralegal, all client documents are stored in separate folder systems, so that your clients’ data will never be co-mingled or confused with the documents of another client. All client documents are backed up in two separate, secure and encrypted back-up systems, one on-line and the other on a standalone drive. Your Contract Agreement will address the handling or your documents upon completion of a project or a case, but in general, A Class paralegal does not retain client documents on any drive or system upon the conclusion of a matter.

During our consultation, we will discuss specifics about your law practice and how I can best be of service to you and your in-house staff. If we are a good fit, awesome! We can then move forward towards working together. If not, I will be happy to help you locate a paralegal that’s a better fit for your litigation practice.