The Most Common Departments In Law Firms Of Today by Mario Cora

These days, the structure of most modern law firms is made such that four departments are almost always present. We are here today to find out what these departments are. We will be seeking to understand the role of each department. In our discussion, we will also attempt to understand the types of people who will be found in the staff of these departments. It is common to find some firms that do not make clear distinctions of these departments, sometimes not even bothering to assign a head for each. But even if, in smaller firms, the departments are composed of only one person, these 'departments' still exist in some form. Similarly, we also find the roles of the departments merging into one department. As a result, one department could be performing the function of two departments. Bigger law firms are more organized in this regard, however. They have a clear organizational structure, with department heads and staff properly identified in order to facilitate the equitable division of labor.
Modern law firms these days make it a point to have a department where their main operations take place. That is what their legal department is for. This is where the practice makes money because this is where the legal practice springs from. In this department, you will usually find two categories of workers: the partners and the associates. These partners and associates are the lawyers of the firm who do all the profit-oriented work: consultation with clients, representing their legal interests and working on legal documents, among others. Sometimes, besides the partners and associates, we also find some legal assistants and interns. Unlike the lawyers, these legal assistants are not qualified to practice law even if they are undergoing legal training. You will also find staff members in this department known as the paralegals. The routine tasks are delegated mostly to them.
Every modern law firm is also expected to have its own administrative department. Sometimes this is also referred to as the secretarial department. As the name implies; you will find secretaries in this department. These secretaries will be working for the attorneys, sometimes on an exclusive capacity. The typing pool of the law firm is also found in this department. In the case of large law firms with human resource officers, they are also often found in this department. Often, security guards, messengers and liaison officers also belong in the administrative department. In many cases, even the coffee and tea girls at the reception area are placed under this department.
The third department that you can expect to find every modern law practicing firm is the information technology (IT) department. A network of computers is now a common sight to see in most law firms, considering the advantages of computerization. The firms have to make it a point to keep computer and network maintenance at a high level.
Finally, it is a given that every law practice should have its own accounting and finance department in order to succeed. Huge sums of money go in and out of the law firms on a day to day basis, and at some point, it becomes necessary to employ a person, or a group of people in the bigger law firms, to keep track of the cash.