Ed. Note: The following content was provided by Wade Skalsky, who is a client of KHTS AM-1220. 

Santa Clarita defense attorney Wade Skalsky weighed in on the aspect of teamwork in the legal world on the new KHTS AM-1220 show “Wade Beyond the Courtroom.”

While the spotlight is often on the attorneys when it comes to legal matters, paralegals can play an equally important role, according to Skalsky.

Defense Attorney Wade Skalsky

“Every person’s job on a team is important and we can’t get that job done without everyone doing the best that they can; we all rely upon each other,” Skalsky said. “(Paralegals) are just as important as the lawyer because I only have 24 hours in the day, so there are certain tasks that I don’t have time to do.”

When paralegals help Skalsky with these tasks, which are often related to trial preparation or motion practice, it enables him to “become a more effective lawyer,” he added.

Related: Santa Clarita Defense Attorney Reveals Truth About Courtroom Movies

Attorneys put a great deal of trust in paralegals because their decisions can be legally binding when they act on a case, and the attorney is responsible for any damages created or mistakes made by their paralegals.

“It’s incredibly important when you’re an attorney, if you use a paralegal, that you get a good one and get one that you can trust,” Skalsky said. “If they mess up, the lawyer can actually suffer the consequences of that through sanctions, and you can have an issue with your license.”

In addition to working for attorneys, freelance paralegals also exist to help regular people with legal matters that do not require attorney advice or representation, such as uncontested divorces, estate planning, family law, business formation and some litigation work.

“A lot of people don’t have the time to prepare their own paperwork, so they come to a service like ours and we do all the preparation and the filing for them,” said Freelance Paralegal Services Owner David Gonzalez.

Gonzalez’s paralegals partner with attorneys regarding legal advice or issues, but work closely with their clients for document preparation.

“We can’t give legal advice,” Gonzalez added. “What we’re allowed to do is to provide people with published information, so we kind of help them make an informed decision on things… There are situations where we do defer to attorneys or even refer to attorneys.”

For more “Wade Beyond the Courtroom,” Santa Clarita residents can tune into KHTS AM-1220 Sunday mornings from 10 to 10:30 a.m. or view a full list of the show’s podcasts here.

Law Offices of Wade J. Skalsky

450 N. Brand Blvd, Suite 600

Glendale, CA 91203

Toll-free: 800-836-1120

Phone: 855-873-9233