Describe the role of legal assistants as the technology experts in today's law firm. What are some of the ways that computers are used in law offices?

Many legal assistants have become the technology experts at law firms. Because lawyers are busy with the practice of law, paralegals are often in the best position to know the firm's needs. Increasingly, paralegals take a leading role in reviewing and recommending new specialized legal software programs and online databases. Computer skills and technical knowledge are highly valued. Paralegals use software packages for internal case management to organize client files, manage calendars, share research, record reference materials, and track the number of hours to be billed to clients. Attorneys and paralegals use time-and-billing software to manage expenses, generate bills, calculate accounts receivable, and produce financial reports. Legal databases available on the Internet or on CD-ROMs allow paralegals to perform sophisticated legal research at their desks. When cases that involve many documents must be prepared for trial, litigation support software can help retrieve, categorize, and index the various materials for presentation.