The Role of a Litigation Support Specialist
Litigation support professionals provide a variety of services for attorneys during legal cases. They manage databases and offer technology assistance. They often work in law firms or for legal consulting companies.
Having the right education and experience can help you land a job as a litigation support specialist. Continually improving technical skills can also make a difference.
Project Management
Strong project management skills are a key responsibility for a litigation support specialist. They must be able to work with attorneys, paralegals, and clients to ensure that all goals are met and projects are completed on time. They also must be able to plan, budget, and organize their tasks effectively.
Another part of their job duties involves ensuring that all case information is organized and available when needed. This includes collecting and storing documents, data, records, and electronic files. It also means performing searches and retrieving data quickly and efficiently.
A litigation support specialist needs to understand the procedural dynamics of a case and how it progresses through different phases. This allows them to manage the information load better and streamline processes so that lawyers can focus on legal matters.
Document Management
A primary responsibility of litigation support specialists is to organize and maintain a case’s document collection. This includes pulling legal records, storing them in a database, and providing attorneys access. To do this, they must have proficiency in technology, including data management software and e-discovery applications. In addition, they must be knowledgeable of cybersecurity best practices.
This highly demanding role requires professional certifications to show commitment to the field. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies or information technology and relevant experience working within a law firm or legal department.
Litigation support specialists can help free up time for your lawyers, paralegals and other senior staff to focus on more pressing matters, such as client services and trial preparation. The expertise they provide in e-discovery, data management and document preparation can greatly enhance your legal practice. They are also affordable for law firms that don’t want to invest in full-time administrative assistants.
Electronic Discovery (eDiscovery)
A large component of a litigation support specialist’s job is to perform electronic discovery processes. These include identifying pertinent information that needs to be produced during the litigation process, determining where electronic data is stored and ensuring that it’s efficiently sourced.
Additionally, these professionals can offer various general consulting services, such as providing legal research for disputes and preparing for court cases. Generally, these services are provided to free up attorneys’ time to focus on more important aspects of the issue.
Litigation support specialists usually work in an office environment and must understand basic legal procedures and terminology. Additionally, they must be able to notice inconsistencies or errors within a document. A thorough knowledge of legal software and eDiscovery applications is also necessary for this role. With experience, this position can lead to management positions. These positions involve overseeing teams of litigation support specialists and establishing budgets.
Communication
Communicating with attorneys, paralegals, and other legal professionals is essential for this position. This includes explaining complex technical information clearly and effectively to those needing to be more tech-savvy.
Additionally, a litigation support specialist must often be able to provide basic research services for cases requiring extensive legal or other types of research. These professionals can also specialize in subpoena and citation services to help free up attorneys’ time to focus on the case.
Litigation support specialists often work in an office environment and must comply with strict privacy measures to protect sensitive data. These professionals can also work remotely to increase flexibility and improve productivity. These workers are a vital part of a law firm and the skills and experience they offer help attorneys manage their caseloads more efficiently and provide quality service to their clients. They can also reduce costs by freeing up attorney’s time to focus on more revenue-generating tasks.
