Best Practices for Delegating Legal Tasks

ByCrystal Potts
Struggling to delegate? Here’s the right way to do it.

If you’re a busy attorney or paralegal, you are quite familiar with the fact that you can’t bill for your time and handle every task yourself.

But many legal professionals avoid delegation because:

  • They’ve been burned by poor work quality.
  • It takes “too long” to explain the task.
  • They don’t know what’s safe to hand off without risking compliance or client trust.

However, with the right system, you can confidently delegate and actually increase accuracy, speed, and profitabillity.

1. Identify the Right Tasks to Delegate

Not everything should leave your desk, but many things can. Tasks worth delegating often include:

  • Document review & formatting
  • Legal research summaries
  • Case file organization
  • Scheduling & client intake
  • Drafting standard contracts/templates

Pro Tip: Create a “Delegation Menu”, a document listing every repeatable task that can be outsourced or handed to your team. This helps you delegate faster without second-guessing.

2. Choose the Right Person (or Partner)

Delegation fails when the wrong person handles the task. Consider:

  • Legal expertise level required
  • Familiarity with jurisdiction-specific requirements
  • Attention to confidentiality and compliance

This is why many firms turn to specialized legal support services rather than general virtual assistants, they get both speed and subject-matter accuracy.

3. Create a Delegation Brief

The fastest way to get bad results is to give vague instructions. A good delegation brief should include:

  • Clear task objective
  • Step-by-step process (if it exists)
  • Deadlines & priorities
  • Format and delivery expectations

Even better, use a repeatable brief template, so every delegated task comes with the right info, every time.

4. Use Secure Communication & File Sharing

When dealing with legal work, compliance is non-negotiable. Always:

  • Share files via encrypted platforms
  • Set user permissions
  • Avoid email for sensitive client information
5. Review, Refine, Repeat

Delegation is not “set and forget.” Your first few hand-offs are a chance to:

  • Catch and correct mistakes
  • Offer constructive feedback
  • Build trust with your delegate

Over time, your instructions will shrink from paragraphs to bullet points, and your time savings will compound.

The ROI of Smart Delegation in Legal Work

By building a systematic approach to delegation, you aren’t just offloading tasks—you’re building a more efficient, profitable, and less stressful law practice.