LegalAI[Space]

A paralegal's first week

A paralegal joins the corporate team on Monday and by Friday has run a research question, filled a 378-cell due diligence grid, hit the limit of what a paralegal seat can do, and produced a memo the partner signs off.

Practice management · Paralegal, trainee, supervising associate, practice manager

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Agents
Research, Contract, Due Diligence
First draft
A checked chat answer inside a day one; a supervised memo by the end of the week.

The problem

The real question a practice manager asks is not whether a paralegal can use the product, it is what happens when they use it and nobody is watching. The seat role, the sign-off requirement and the source chips are what answer that.

  1. Step 01 of 05

    Join and ask the first question

    The paralegal lands on a shorter member checklist and answers a change-of-control question on the customer contracts, with source chips the associate checks.

    Matters · 14 Rowan Court, Flat 9 · ResearchSources ranked
    Matter: 14 Rowan CourtEngland and WalesResearch Agent
     
    Prepare for: Court-Ready · Deliver as: Word

    Where we looked

    • 1Your documentsLease, demand, correspondence
    • 2Primary law3 statutes, 1 judgment
    • 3Regulators and the recordNothing needed
    • 4Web searchOff for this question

    Authorities · 4

    • 1

      Law of Property Act 1925, s 146

      c 20
      not yet checked
    • 2

      Housing Act 1996, s 81

      c 52
      not yet checked
    • 3

      Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, s 168

      c 15
      not yet checked
    • 4

      Escalus Properties Ltd v Robinson

      [1996] QB 231 (CA)
      not yet checked

  2. Step 02 of 05

    Run the grid

    A 378-cell due diligence grid is filled unattended; the paralegal sorts by red flags and writes the covering note on the fourteen exceptions.

    Document Review · Hartwell matter · contract screen0/12 filled
    DocumentParties and effective dateTEXTTerm and renewalTEXTLimitation of liabilityTEXTGoverning lawTEXT
    nda-hartwell-meridian.txt
    saas-agreement-northgate.txt
    board-minutes-hartwell.txt

  3. Step 03 of 05

    Hit the limit

    A research answer on an unrelated matter needs the paralegal to be added to it first; sharing a run to a client and signing off remain fee-earner and partner actions.

    Matters · 14 Rowan Court, Flat 9 · ResearchSources ranked
    Matter: 14 Rowan CourtEngland and WalesResearch Agent
     
    Prepare for: Court-Ready · Deliver as: Word

    Where we looked

    • 1Your documentsLease, demand, correspondence
    • 2Primary law3 statutes, 1 judgment
    • 3Regulators and the recordNothing needed
    • 4Web searchOff for this question

    Authorities · 4

    • 1

      Law of Property Act 1925, s 146

      c 20
      not yet checked
    • 2

      Housing Act 1996, s 81

      c 52
      not yet checked
    • 3

      Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, s 168

      c 15
      not yet checked
    • 4

      Escalus Properties Ltd v Robinson

      [1996] QB 231 (CA)
      not yet checked

  4. Step 04 of 05

    Produce a supervised memo

    The Contract Agent runs a memo on the NDA against the board minutes; the paralegal answers the open questions they can and re-runs it, but does not tick the action items.

    Agents · Contract Agent · New runMatter: Northgate · senior associate hire

    Agent

    Jurisdiction

    Prepare for

    Deliver as

    Instruction

    What should the agent look for?

    Documents

    Drop a contract, or pick one from the matter

    Also on the matter

    • Offer_letter_v3.pdf2 pages
    • Staff_handbook_2025.docx61 pages
    • Board_minute_14_Aug.pdf3 pages
    Platform model · zero data retention · audit register on

  5. Step 05 of 05

    Close the week

    The matter timeline shows the week in order for the file notes, and the billing page's cost-by-matter panel shows where the week's usage went.

    Audit register · Calder & Finch LLP · last 24 hours
    5 of 8 entries · digest sha-256
    TimeWhoTypeEntryMatter
    09:36j.okaforDocumentDisclosure_letter_v4.docx uploaded · 18 pagesHAL-2026-0031
    09:30e.vanceConflict checkConflict check on open · no matches across 38 mattersRC-2026-0009
    09:12adminMemberp.hartley added · role: Associate · 4 mattersWorkspace
    08:55r.chenRunDue Diligence Agent · review grid · 12 documentsHAL-2026-0031
    08:40r.chenVerificationVerify all · 6 authorities · 6 verifiedHAL-2026-0031
    Exports carry a content digest so a reviewer can confirm nothing was edited after the fact.

A document, not a transcript.

  • A checked chat answer with source chips, verified by the associate in minutes rather than read from scratch.
  • A completed due diligence grid with the exceptions sorted and a covering note.
  • A Work-Stream Memo with the action items left for the fee-earner and partner to confirm.
  • A matter timeline recording the whole week in order, for the paralegal's own file notes.

Authorities it checks

  • Law of Property Act 1925, s.146(11)
  • County Courts Act 1984, s.138
  • Billson v Residential Apartments Ltd
  • Shiloh Spinners Ltd v Harding
  • Toms v Ruberry
Every source it may cite

What it does not do

  • A paralegal cannot see a matter they are not on, and cannot share a run to a client or tick its action items.
  • It does not remove supervision. The product makes the supervisor's check cheap enough to actually do, it does not replace it.
  • It does not let a junior seat sign off a memo; that action stays with the fee-earner and the partner.

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