Find delegable tasks for non-lawyer members of the department

A managing attorney from an insurance company’s law department explained at a panel a recent initiative. Her department undertook to identify 20 activities that lawyers were doing but which they could pass on to a paralegal, administrative assistant or other support person. To the surprise of management, it proved easy to identify 20 opportunities, so they set their sights higher.

At last count, some 68 tasks or responsibilities had been spotted and reassigned. What energized this initiative was the enthusiasm with which the staff members sought the additional responsibilities, variety of work, and learning experience. Lawyers may not have wanted to do certain tasks, such as tracking UCC continuation statements, but to someone else that task was refreshing and challenging.