The Duties of Paralegal Companies

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Paralegal companies, also known as freelance or virtual paralegals, work for attorneys on a contract basis
Paralegals, by definition and by law, must work under the direction and supervision of licensed attorneys. Paralegal companies, therefore, may provide services only to licensed attorneys---not to the general public. Paralegal companies are also known as freelance paralegals or virtual paralegals. The duties they perform for attorneys vary by practice area and, more specifically, by attorneys' needs.

Litigation

Digital Paralegal Services LLC of Guthrie, Oklahoma, is owned and operated by Cathy L. Ribble, CP. Digital specializes in virtual litigation paralegal services for attorneys. General litigation duties performed for a Digital attorney client include support for case administration; initial investigation and research; filing of petition or complaint; filing of answer or counterclaim; discovery; motions, hearings and pretrial; settlement, mediation and arbitration; trial preparation, and judgment and appeal.

Virtual Paralegal Services, Inc. (VPS) of Framingham, Massachusetts, is owned and operated by Denise M. Annunciata. VPS provides paralegal services to attorneys in a wide variety of practice areas, including entity formation and management. Entity formation and management duties performed for a VPS attorney client include support for incorporations and formations; foreign registrations and qualifications; international subsidiaries; dissolutions; withdrawals; mergers and conversions; minute books and company records; stock issuance, transfers and record-keeping, and non-profit corporations.

VPS also performs transaction and due diligence duties for its attorney clients. VPS transaction services include support for asset and stock purchases; mergers and acquisitions, and secured lending. VPS due diligence services include assisting in drafting, receiving and tracking due diligence documents; reviewing and researching licenses and permits; reviewing company records to ensure statutory requirements have been met; verifying the existence and good standing of constituent entities; and public records research.

VPS intellectual property duties performed for its attorney clients include conducting trademark, service mark, copyright and Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Agent searches; searching international registrations; filing federal trademarks; preparing and filing state trademark and service mark filings and trade name and business certificates; tracking trademark and service mark renewal requirements; filing DMCA Agent registration with the Library of Congress; preparing and filing copyright applications and supplemental copyright registrations; drafting documents used in intellectual property law, and performing general intellectual property administration and maintenance.

Wealth Counselor's Advantage Ltd. (WCA) of Tallahassee, Florida, is owned and operated by Karen Howe, ACP. WCA specializes in probate, estate planning, estate and trust administration, guardianship and fiduciary tax. Services WCA may provide to its attorney clients include duties related to compilation of information; implementation; insurance; preparation of documents; severance of joint tenancies or tenancies in common; trust funding; decedents' estates (discovery of information, administration, assets, taxes and closing the estate), and guardianships and conservatorships.

The Virtual Paralegal (TVP) of Traverse City, Michigan, is owned and operated by Dawn M. Draper. One of many areas in which TVP has experience is family law. Family law services TVP may provide to its attorney clients include duties related to commencement of action; temporary orders; financial affidavits; discovery; settlement negotiations; hearings; post-decree, and special projects.