Payal Patel, director of legal projects, Robert Half Legal, Atlanta. (Courtesy photo)

The mixed role of legal secretary and paralegal, known now as the “hybrid paralegal” position—that combines administrative tasks with paralegal duties—has become more common over the past few years with no signs of slowing down. According to a survey from the recruiting firm where I work, Robert Half Legal, 47 percent of lawyers plan to hire in the first half of 2019, with legal secretaries and paralegals among top legal support jobs to be added.

Why an Increased Demand?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the unemployment rate in Atlanta residing at 3.4 percent for November 2018 (national unemployment rate is 3.7 percent), there are more jobs than there are qualified candidates to fill them. The uptick in paralegal onboarding results in firms trying to hire more efficiently without creating many tiers of staff, while also utilizing multiple skill sets within one individual. In Atlanta, law firms have utilized more of the hybrid role; the true paralegal role is still very relevant within corporations with lean legal teams.

The paralegal position has seen higher demand, mainly due to an increased workload within a legal team and balancing that workload with budgetary constraints. On top of that, the legal secretary pool and paralegal pool is even more limited for any contract needs. Thus, this emerging hybrid role helps new individuals acquire the skill set and the right practice area experience to be able to grow with the firm and stay there long-term. The hybrid role became an outside-the-box solution to a demanding and competitive candidate market. From a compensation perspective, these junior roles start at a salary range that is typically less than the range for an experienced paralegal. This helps a law firm or company manage their budget while having employees who can balance the workflow and the critical tasks, such as e-filing, calendaring, drafting legal documents, researching, redlining or prepping files for the attorneys.

Employers are leveraging the knowledge, flexibility and technical skills that hybrid or blended paralegals/legal secretaries possess by assigning them a broader range of responsibilities. They are managing more comprehensive duties than in the past, including work previously managed by entry-level associates. Since billing rates for many legal matters are typically less for paralegals than those for lawyers, this strategy enhances efficiencies—and helps free up lawyers for other technical matters.

How Can Hiring Managers Maximize Recruiting Efforts?

Despite the increase in jobs and historically low unemployment rate, another survey by Robert Half Legal found that 91 percent of lawyers said finding skilled legal professionals is somewhat or very challenging. Here are some tips that can help navigate hiring:

Become familiar with market demands in terms of salaries and benefits. They are increasingly important in this competitive market, as firms must meet or exceed these expectations. Understand what the “absolute must-haves” are vs. the “nice-to-haves” are for the position—some leeway in those factors may be necessary to increase the pool of candidates who apply. Oftentimes, by relaxing the job description and offering training in areas to increase skill sets, it is beneficial for top candidates to accept the offer of employment and remain with the firm for a longer term.

Utilize a resource to help supplement recruiting efforts and understand the need to move quickly. Examples of this include consolidating the interview process and establishing a timeline for hiring will allow the search efforts to move to the next step.

What About Paralegals?

Candidates looking to develop their experience and morph into the hybrid position should focus on soft skills such as communication, multitasking and being a go-getter. Remember, specific processes for specific practice areas and software applications can always be taught on the job, if the foundation is there. Here are some additional tips to help paralegals enhance their marketability:

Conduct a legal career assessment. List your accomplishments and current skills. Remember, soft skills give you a leg up on the competition. Some examples include, being tech savvy, enhancing your “think-on-your-feet” attitude, truly learning how to be a team player, having a professional demeanor/attitude to work with all of the staff (firm administrative executives, accounting team, attorneys, clients and vendors), showing initiative and desire to learn, taking notes during trainings and reviewing them to keep the teachings fresh, being a good listener and not being afraid to ask questions.

Leverage professional development. Continue to enhance your skills and knowledge through advanced legal educational opportunities, paralegal certification programs and career development workshops. Legal employers are increasingly recruiting paralegal candidates with advanced degrees and/or certification from an ABA-approved paralegal education program. They recognize that paralegal certification programs provide paralegals with in-depth knowledge, professional skills and an understanding of the technologies, processes and applications that are important in today's legal office.

Tailor your resume. For each job application, customize your resume to reflect the goals and parameters of the open position.

Evaluate emerging technologies. Stay current with business, economic, legal trends and the changing nature of paralegal jobs.

Tap others' expertise. Mentors and other colleagues can identify gaps in your skills or experience, make professional introductions and provide possible legal job leads.

Payal Patel is the director of business development for Robert Half Legal, a legal employment agency providing lawyers, paralegals and legal support personnel on a temporary, project and full-time basis to law firms and corporate legal departments in Atlanta. She received her J.D. from Roger Williams University School of Law, Bristol, Rhode Island.