Family Lawyer Question:

Just because the firm may ask you questions relating to your technology skills does not mean that you are prohibited from finding out just how technologically savvy they may be! If you are a new paralegal or a veteran exploring a job change, here are sixteen questions you can ask to help you evaluate your potential new employer's orientation to technology utilization in the practice of law:

☛ What programs are paralegals expected to know, and how are those programs used?
☛ Do members of the firm use E-mail internally to communicate with each other? With their clients?
☛ Are paralegals provided laptops? Are attorneys provided laptops? Do they use them?
☛ Does the firm have a Web site? How often is it updated? Are paralegals included on the Web site?
☛ Does the firm have a technology committee? Do any paralegals sit on that committee?
☛ What ongoing training does the firm provide to maximize comfort level with new and existing technology?
☛ What is the firm's attitude toward the virtual office? Do any paralegals in the firm work from home or a client's office?
☛ Is the firm's computer technology compatible with clients'?
☛ Does the firm have an MIS director, and if so, what is that person's relationship to the firm's management committee? How much interfacing is there between the MIS director and the paralegals?
☛ What is the firm policy regarding the Internet and employee privacy issues?
☛ If the firm has multiple offices, are they networked? Does the firm have an Intranet or Extranet?
☛ What operating system does the firm utilize? (Is the firm still using DOS?) What are the plans for the future?
☛ Does the firm have an in-house litigation support department? If outsourced, to whom?
☛ How does the firm utilize imaging and scanning services?
☛ How does the firm market its technology to clients?
☛ Does the firm utilize computers in the courtroom?