30-60-90 day plan for paralegals
On this page
- Supervision is part of the plan, not a formality
- Days 1-30: Learn the controls and the files
- Days 31-60: Real work with lighter review
- Days 61-90: Own a set of matters
- What to measure
- A filled example
- What "on track" looks like
- What the supervising lawyer owes the new paralegal
- Common mistakes
- Adapting the plan
- Questions people ask
A paralegal's work is reviewed by lawyers, filed with courts or agencies, and read by clients and opposing counsel. Small errors travel. A missed deadline, a misfiled exhibit or a document sent to the wrong party can damage a case or a client relationship in a way few other new-hire mistakes can. A 30-60-90 day plan for paralegals has to put the firm's risk controls first, then move the new hire onto real matters with review, and end with a defined set of files they run.
This plan is for the supervising attorney, practice group leader or paralegal manager at a law firm or in-house legal department. The general structure for any role is in the 30-60-90 day plan template for new hires. If the role is closer to scheduling and administrative support for a lawyer, the 30-60-90 day plan for executive assistants may fit better.
Supervision is part of the plan, not a formality
Paralegals work under lawyer supervision, and the supervising lawyer stays responsible for their work. The American Bar Association's Model Rule 5.3 requires lawyers with managerial authority to make reasonable efforts to ensure the firm has measures giving reasonable assurance that nonlawyer assistants' conduct is compatible with the lawyers' professional obligations, and requires supervising lawyers to make reasonable efforts to the same end. Each state adopts its own version of the rules, and state requirements for paralegals differ. Check your state's rules (as of October 2026); this page is not legal advice.
In practice, that means the plan should name the supervising lawyer for every matter the paralegal touches, say which work needs review before it leaves the firm, and spell out that the paralegal does not give legal advice to clients.
Confidentiality habits belong in the same first week. Show the new paralegal how the firm marks and stores privileged material, which matters are walled off from which people, how to check a recipient list before sending, and what to do in the first hour if something goes to the wrong person. A paralegal who knows the recovery steps reports a mistake quickly instead of hoping nobody noticed.
Days 1-30: Learn the controls and the files
Goals
- Complete training on the docketing or calendaring system, including how deadlines are entered, checked by a second person and reported to lawyers.
- Learn the conflicts check process and when the paralegal must run or request one, such as when a new party appears in a matter.
- Learn the document management system, naming conventions and how privileged material is marked and stored.
- Learn e-filing for the courts or agencies the practice uses, with test filings or supervised live filings.
- Read the files for the matters they will support: pleadings or deal documents, the case calendar or closing checklist, and recent correspondence.
- Prepare first work product under review: an index, a deposition or document summary, a draft discovery response shell, or a closing checklist.
- Record time daily if the firm bills paralegal time.
Deliverables by day 30
- Docketing and e-filing sign-off from the docketing lead or supervising lawyer.
- A one-page status note on each assigned matter: posture, next deadlines and open tasks.
- A log of review comments on their work, sorted into format, accuracy and judgment.
Days 31-60: Real work with lighter review
Goals
- Take over recurring tasks on assigned matters, such as discovery production, exhibit preparation, entity filings or closing binders.
- Manage the deadlines for assigned matters, sending reminders to lawyers ahead of each one.
- Communicate with clients, court clerks, vendors and opposing counsel's staff within the rules agreed in week one.
- Prepare first drafts of routine documents from firm templates for lawyer review.
- Work with the litigation support or e-discovery team on at least one review or production, if the practice uses one.
Deliverables by day 60
- Fewer accuracy comments on work product than in the first month.
- Every deadline on assigned matters met, with reminders sent ahead.
- A personal checklist for each recurring task, written from the first month's mistakes.
Days 61-90: Own a set of matters
Goals
- Run the paralegal work on a named list of matters with lawyer review only where the firm requires it.
- Prepare a major piece of work end to end, such as a trial or hearing binder, a document production, or a closing set.
- Suggest one improvement to a template, checklist or process that caused rework.
- Meet the practice's billable hour or productivity expectation for a ramped paralegal, if one applies.
Deliverables by day 90
- The named matter list, owned, with current status notes.
- The major piece of work completed on time.
- The improvement proposal, with the lawyer or manager's decision on it.
What to measure
Paralegal work is easier to measure than it looks, because so much of it has a deadline and a reviewer. Use the measures below. The example targets are illustrative; set real ones from your own practice.
| Measure | How to track it | Example expectation by day 90 (example only) |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlines met on assigned matters | Docketing reports | All met, with reminders sent ahead |
| Review comments by type | The new hire's log, checked by the reviewer | Format and accuracy comments falling; judgment comments remaining |
| Filing or production errors | Rejected filings, corrected productions | None after day 60 |
| Time recorded | Billing system | Entered daily with clear descriptions |
| Turnaround on routine requests | Task tracker or email | Within the practice group's agreed time |
A filled example
Paralegal: Grace Adeyemi (invented), litigation paralegal joining a 40-lawyer firm's commercial litigation group from a smaller insurance defense practice.
Day 30: Signed off on docketing and e-filing in the federal and state courts the group uses. Wrote status notes on six matters and found a discovery response deadline that had been calendared from the wrong service date; the docketing lead corrected it with days to spare. Most review comments were about the firm's exhibit formatting.
Day 60: Took over document productions on two matters, coordinating with the e-discovery vendor. Accuracy comments fell to a few per week. Wrote a production checklist covering Bates numbering, privilege log updates and the transmittal letter.
Day 90: Built the hearing binders for a preliminary injunction hearing with no late changes from the partner. Owned paralegal work on eight matters. Proposed a shared deposition summary template, which the group adopted.
What "on track" looks like
| Checkpoint | On track | Worth a direct conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Day 30 | Docketing and filing sign-off; status notes accurate; asks before sending anything outside the firm | Sends documents externally without review; status notes miss deadlines |
| Day 60 | Recurring tasks owned; deadlines met with reminders; fewer accuracy comments | Same formatting or accuracy errors repeated; lawyers chasing them for status |
| Day 90 | Named matters run reliably; major project done on time | Still needs step-by-step instructions on routine tasks |
What the supervising lawyer owes the new paralegal
- A named matter list and the supervising lawyer for each one.
- Written rules on client contact: what the paralegal can discuss, what goes to a lawyer, and how calls are logged.
- Review with explanations. Redlines without a reason teach the paralegal to fix that document, not the next one.
- Templates and examples of good work product from the practice group.
- Protection from too many masters. In firms where any lawyer can assign work, agree who sets priorities when requests collide.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Live deadlines before docketing training | A missed or miscalculated deadline | Docketing sign-off before owning any calendar |
| No client contact rules | A well-meant answer that reads as legal advice | Written rules in week one |
| Work from every lawyer at once | Missed priorities and no owned matters | A named matter list and one priority setter |
| Billable target from day one | Time padded or rushed work | Track hours in month one; ramp the target after |
Adapting the plan
- Transactional paralegals: replace court deadlines and e-filing with closing checklists, entity formation and maintenance filings, and signature and closing logistics.
- In-house legal departments: add contract management systems, intake from business teams and the department's approval rules. Billable hours usually do not apply.
- Experienced lateral paralegals: shorten the first phase, but keep the docketing and conflicts sign-off. Every firm runs these differently.
If you are still hiring, the paralegal screening questions test for deadline habits and practice-area depth, and the attorney lateral screening questions cover the lawyers who will supervise the work.
Questions people ask
What should a new paralegal learn first?
The firm's or department's deadline and docketing process, its document management and filing conventions, and its confidentiality and conflicts procedures. Mistakes in those areas can harm a client or a case, so they come before speed on drafting or research.
Can a new paralegal work directly with clients?
Paralegals often communicate with clients to gather information, schedule and send documents, but they must not give legal advice, and the supervising lawyer remains responsible for their work. Set clear rules in the first week on what the paralegal can say, what needs a lawyer's review and how client calls are logged.
How many matters should a paralegal support by day 90?
It depends on the practice area and how active the matters are. A litigation paralegal on a few matters in heavy discovery may be fully loaded, while a transactional or estate planning paralegal may handle many more files. Agree a named list of matters in month one and grow it as the reviewing lawyers' comments decrease.
Should a paralegal have billable hour targets in the first 90 days?
If the firm bills paralegal time, track hours from the start so the new hire learns time entry habits, but treat the first month's number as information rather than a target. A ramped target from the second or third month is common; set it from what experienced paralegals in the same practice actually record.