Skills of a Legal Case Manager and Their Relevance to Students

As a legal case manager for a law firm, I am used to dealing with complicated issues on a daily basis. Whether it be talking with clients, considering all of the documentation that is required for a case, or answering client questions, I am faced with trying situations in the legal profession that require critical thinking and organizational skills. Put these challenges together with my top-notch communication skills and you will easily see how I was able to get where I am today.

These same skills are necessary for students to be successful in both high school and college. A legal case manager, or paralegal, needs to have patience, be organized, and have excellent analytical skills for them to be successful in their field of study. While Brilliant PU College students are not majoring in law, they will benefit from learning organizational skills and how to communicate effectively to their teachers and their peers. Applying the skills of a comprehensive legal case manager helps students be successful in the classroom and beyond.

Organization is an important key to success as a legal case manager – and for students! By organizing the government paperwork legally and accurately, they are helping the client and the attorney by setting up a clear record of the case. By documenting every aspect of the client’s case – how long the issue has been dominating their life, what the actual problem is, and how much money they have already spent – we legal case managers are helping clients communicate effectively and concisely, allowing the attorney to work efficiently and promptly.

Brilliant PU College students can take the same strategy to their studies. By organizing all materials for each class, they will be able to go back and find what they need without rushing around and getting distracted. For example, when studying for mid-terms or finals, keep all materials for that subject together to review all at once. Having all lecture notes, assignments, and quizzes together will allow them to organize their study sessions according to the material they need to master.

Making sure that case files are complete is essential for a legal case manager to be successful. This means that we need to have all necessary documents turned in by the clients and file the paperwork with the appropriate agencies or organizations that are needed for the case to proceed. If things are missing, we have to call the client, send out a letter to confirm the document we are missing, and have the client sign or correct any documents that are incorrect.

Brilliant PU College students need to have similar skills when it comes to their studies. If there are missing assignments, teachers and professors want to find out if the student made a mistake in their grading, or to clarify things in the assignment if they have graded it incorrectly. Even if the student is unable to track down the missing assignment, communication with the teacher to explain the situation, might mean the difference between passing or failing the class.

Clerical duties are usually under a legal case manager’s job description. We answer phones, schedule appointments, and put together filing systems for our case load. When scheduling opening and other hearings, we have to send out notices to the court, the client, and the attorney that are representing the client.

Brilliant PU College students can learn these same skills while they are in school, by answering phones when an office staff member is busy, being polite and courteous to their teachers, and getting on something like Remind 101 to find out when assignments are due or any changes that have been made to their classes or class schedules.

The most common type of work that a legal case manager does can involve legal research on rules and statutes for their state, the federal level, or by city or county. For example, for a civil case, we might need to research a new law that may have just passed in the state of Texas regarding a problem that they have never had before, such as with the energy industry. Or, we may need to look up the process for small claims court for Houston, so a client does not have to hire an attorney to write the required paperwork out for them.

Students have to perform their own research, in most cases. If an assignment requires writing a report or an essay, they may have to perform their own research regarding the subject they are writing about. If they do not understand the instructions, they will need to re-read the document multiple times to see what they might have missed the first time. They may need to go back to the syllabus to find out when the assignment is due and the structure that is needed for the report. If there are questions, they will need to ask the teacher for clarifications so writing the assignment is not done in a hurry or the night before it is due.

Legal case managers need to be able to write various types of legal documents. We may need to write a letter to the judge explaining a situation, or to give a client clear instructions on the next steps they need to take. Writing “depositions” means that we are laying out what the client has said about their civil issue, so they can tell the judge and jury what they said in a trial in case they forget key details later on in life.

For Brilliant PU College students, they may need to write various types of papers for their classes. To get an education, they will be learning how to write various types of reports that they will need for college or a vocation after they graduate. These skills are transferable into any field of study, work, or vocation.

Legal case managers must be able to pay attention to details. When we are working on a case, everything needs to fit into place perfectly, including all documentation, the people involved and all documents that are required by the parties involved. When we are filing documents, we have to make sure that we have everything completed in full and turn it into the appropriate agency or organization – the court, our client, the secretary of state, etc.

Brilliant PU College students are tested on their attention to detail. When exam time comes, students must have all materials in order for their classes to study for their final exam, write all reports, and submit all paperwork on the assigned due dates. Any incomplete or missing materials can lead to an incomplete or failing grade.

While Texas is known for their no-nonsense, get the job done attitude, we are not immune from feeling stressed and overwhelmed. However, good legal case managers perform their job duties well, with a high level of accuracy so we do not have to deal with requests for information for the judge, the attorney, or the client about miscommunications and incorrect paperwork.

Brilliant PU College students can learn these same skills. They will be learning how to manage stress when completing their assignments and their studies. This could include determining how to meet deadlines when they have several papers due on the same day, or how to find time to study for their finals when studying for one class can take up hours of their time.

Legal case managers have to be able to think outside of the box, and adjust when necessary. We have to stay calm when issues arise at the firm, and come up with ideas that will help the attorney resolve issues at hand. We need to be able to communicate with others, perform research, write communications and other documents, and deal with a highly diverse group of people on a daily basis.

Brilliant PU College students can learn this skill as well. They will need to be able to adapt to their studies and any problems that come up in their life while they are in school, whether that means finding a new way to solve a problem, or getting help from a teacher or tutor.

Ethics and integrity are a normal part of the legal system. Attorneys and their staff must follow strict codes of ethics when dealing with their clients and the court. While they are working for the client, they must also follow the law in all aspects of their job duties.

Again, Brilliant PU College students can learn these skills. They will need to keep track of all of their grades, so they can keep their GPA up. They should also learn how to stay honest and true to themselves when it comes to completing their studies or when they do something wrong.