Attorneys per Paralegal

Attorneys per Paralegal

KPI Details

Attorneys per Paralegal measures the total number of in-house attorneys working for the company in relation to the number of paralegals working for the company at the same point in time. Lower than average values for this metric can be indicative of excessive time spent on low-value work (e.g., printing, scanning, etc.), overstaffing, general inefficiencies within Legal Department processes (e.g., poor document preparation, lack of prompt responsiveness to legal issues, insufficient research on legal information or procedural issues, etc.), and sub-par Paralegal training and performance. While companies typically seek to streamline operations and employee positions to reduce expenses associated with excessively high numbers of Paralegals, great care should be taken when doing so as too many layoffs may make it that much more difficult for the company's attorneys to successfully represent clients and/or mitigate any legal issues that pop up. Perform time studies on the actions conducted by attorneys to determine the appropriate number of paralegals are needed.

KPI Definition

The total number of in-house attorneys working for the company divided by the number of paralegals working for the company at the same point in time.

KPI Calculation Instructions Attorneys per Paralegal?

Two values are used to calculate this KPI: (1) the total number of in-house attorneys working for the company, and (2) the number of paralegals working for the company at the same point in time. An attorney should be considered to be any employee whose core job function is to perform criminal and civil legal function on behalf of the company. These functions include providing legal counsel, drafting legal documents, and representing clients before courts, administrative agencies and other tribunals. Paralegals should be considered any employee whose core job function is to prepare legal documents (e.g., drafting agreements, contracts, and briefs), research and explain legal precedent, and perform investigative work on cases. Paralegals are typically retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, government agency or other entity that performs similar work.

KPI Formula :

Total Number of In-House Attorneys / Total Number of Paralegals