The Smart Way to Hire a Paralegal Virtual Assistant and Cut Costs by 70%

In today’s legal market, precision, speed, and client responsiveness aren’t optional, they’re the price of staying competitive. Yet for most small to mid-sized law firms, rising overhead and limited internal bandwidth are stalling growth. 

Hiring more full-time staff isn’t always feasible, and traditional outsourcing often lacks the quality or consistency required for legal work. That’s where virtual paralegals are changing the game.

A virtual paralegal is a skilled legal professional who supports attorneys remotely with research, filings, document prep, case management, and more, without the cost, space, or complexity of hiring in-house.

They bring real law firm experience, understand legal compliance, and work in your time zone as a seamless extension of your team.

Whether you’re a solo attorney overwhelmed with casework or a growing firm looking to expand support without expanding payroll, hiring a virtual paralegal can unlock new levels of efficiency and profitability,  without compromising on accuracy or client service. In this guide, we’ll walk you through:

• What a virtual paralegal actually does (and doesn’t do)
• How to find, vet, and hire one with confidence
• The cost savings (and time savings) law firms are seeing
• How top firms are leveraging this model to win more cases  and reclaim their time
  

Let’s break it down.

What Is a Virtual Paralegal and What Can They Do?

A virtual paralegal is a trained legal professional who provides paralegal services remotely,  supporting attorneys and law firms with research, document drafting, case preparation, client communication, and administrative work. Unlike general virtual assistants, virtual paralegals are specifically trained in legal processes, terminology, and compliance. Many have years of experience in law firms and are proficient in the tools and workflows your team already uses.

They work remotely, but not generically. A top-tier virtual paralegal is embedded into your systems, aligned with your practice area, and trained to execute legal tasks with accuracy, speed, and confidentiality. 

They communicate in your language,  whether you’re managing litigation deadlines, discovery requests, or estate planning paperwork. Some of the most in-demand services virtual paralegals perform include:

• Drafting pleadings, contracts, discovery, and client letters
• Conducting legal research and summarizing findings
• Managing case files, deadlines, and document organization
• Preparing court filings and assisting with e-filing systems
• Supporting client intake and post-engagement follow-up
• Communicating with opposing counsel and third parties
• Assisting with trial prep, exhibits, and deposition summaries

Whether your firm focuses on personal injury, family law, immigration, real estate, or corporate law, a virtual paralegal can be trained and matched to meet the specific needs of your caseload and court requirements.

And the best part? You don’t need to worry about local hiring, office space, or full-time overhead. When sourced through a trusted provider like GlobalTeam, you get a fully vetted legal professional with the exact skills and availability you need, working as a long-term partner, not just a freelancer.

Top Tasks You Can Delegate to a Virtual Paralegal

The truth is, most law firms waste billable hours doing work that should be delegated. Attorneys spend time formatting documents, organizing files, or chasing down client signatures, instead of focusing on legal strategy, court appearances, and high-value client interactions.

Hiring a virtual paralegal unlocks that leverage. You get execution without overhead. Precision without payroll bloat. And real operational support that helps your firm stay ahead, not just afloat. Here are the top legal support tasks you can delegate to a highly trained virtual paralegal:

Document Drafting & Review

From demand letters to divorce petitions, virtual paralegals can draft pleadings, motions, contracts, and correspondence based on your templates or case facts. They help format, proof, cite, and organize, so your documents are court-ready and compliant with jurisdictional standards.

Legal Research & Case Summaries

A skilled paralegal can conduct case law research, statute interpretation, and jurisdictional comparisons, then summarize findings in clear, usable formats. Whether you’re preparing for a hearing or advising a client, this saves hours and improves case precision.

File & Case Management

Virtual paralegals manage docketing, organize case files in platforms like Clio or MyCase, maintain calendars, and track deadlines. This ensures your team stays compliant and efficient  with nothing slipping through the cracks.

Client Intake & Communication

They assist with new client intake, scheduling, follow-up emails, and case updates. This improves your client experience without requiring more in-house staff.

Trial Prep, Discovery & E-Filing

From organizing exhibits to preparing discovery responses, virtual paralegals can handle logistics that often bog down legal teams. Many are trained in e-filing procedures for multiple court systems, reducing delays and improving compliance.

Hiring a virtual paralegal doesn’t mean lowering your standards,  it means finally meeting them, consistently. Delegating these tasks means your team focuses on the legal work only attorneys can do, while everything else gets done right, on time, and within budget.

Virtual Paralegal vs. In-House Paralegal: Cost & ROI Breakdown

Hiring an in-house paralegal used to be the standard,  until founders started doing the math. Between salary, benefits, taxes, office space, and overhead, most small firms are paying $65,000–$90,000+ per year for a single legal support role. And that’s before accounting for downtime, turnover, or underutilization.

Now compare that to a GlobalTeam virtual paralegal:

• Cost: $1,500–$2,500/month (full-time, fully dedicated)
• Savings: Up to 70% less than a U.S.-based hire
• Productivity: 40+ hours/week, with focused execution and no idle time
  

But this isn’t just about saving money, it’s about maximizing leverage. A high-performing virtual paralegal can take on 80–90% of the tasks a traditional hire would handle: document review, client intake, research, filings, e-discovery, and case prep. All without requiring additional desk space, equipment, or HR overhead.

And because GlobalTeam virtual paralegals are pre-vetted for legal tool proficiency (Clio, MyCase, CaseText, etc.), they’re not just affordable, they’re immediately impactful.

Founders aren’t choosing virtual to cut corners. They’re doing it to reclaim profit margins, reduce risk, and scale with precision.

How to Hire a Virtual Paralegal That Actually Delivers

Not all virtual paralegals are created equal  and the biggest mistake most firms make is hiring on instinct, not process. They prioritize speed over fit, skip structured vetting, and hand off critical legal support to underqualified freelancers. That’s not smart scaling. That’s a legal risk.

At GlobalTeam, we take a different approach. Our proprietary 13-Step Global Hiring Process™ ensures that every paralegal candidate is vetted for legal systems proficiency, English fluency, confidentiality, responsiveness, and remote-readiness, before they ever reach your inbox. If you’re hiring a virtual paralegal on your own, here’s what to get right:

1. Define the Role in Detail

Don’t start with a list of tasks. Start with outcomes. What should this hire own? Is it intake and client follow-up? Drafting motions? Case research? Map out the role clearly — with KPIs, software access, turnaround expectations, and legal compliance requirements.

2. Vet for Legal-Specific Tool Proficiency

Your virtual paralegal should be fluent in the tools your team uses daily. That might include Clio, MyCase, CaseText, NetDocuments, or even DocuSign and cloud storage platforms. Don’t guess,  test for these skills upfront.

3. Test for Confidentiality and Judgment

This isn’t just any VA. They’ll be handling sensitive case files, client records, and internal comms. Strong virtual paralegals demonstrate sound judgment, follow SOPs without reminders, and treat client information with the discretion it deserves.

4. Prioritize Responsiveness and Ownership

Remote doesn’t mean removed. The right paralegal is responsive, proactive, and communicates clearly across email, Slack, or case management tools. They don’t just wait for tasks,  they follow up, double-check deadlines, and anticipate next steps.

5. Use a Hiring System, Not Hope

If you want someone you can trust with client work, don’t hire off a single interview. Use assessments, written tests, simulated tasks, and verified references. Better yet, partner with a firm that does it all for you.

Top Tasks You Can Delegate to a Virtual Paralegal

The biggest unlock for most law firms isn’t just reducing payroll,  it’s removing bottlenecks. When attorneys and senior staff are buried in paralegal work, billable hours drop, deadlines slip, and growth stalls. A high-performing virtual paralegal changes that.

Here’s what the best virtual paralegals can take off your plate,  without sacrificing quality, confidentiality, or compliance:

Legal Drafting & Document Preparation

From pleadings and motions to contracts, summaries, and client correspondence,  a virtual paralegal can draft, format, and revise legal documents under attorney supervision. They’re trained in legal terminology, formatting standards, and jurisdictional requirements.

Case Management & Calendar Coordination

Virtual paralegals support your docket by organizing files, updating internal systems, and tracking court dates, deadlines, and discovery milestones. Many firms use platforms like Clio, MyCase, or PracticePanther and we only recommend candidates who are fluent in your tech stack.

Client Intake & Communication

Free your attorneys from time-consuming intake calls. A skilled virtual paralegal can conduct new client screenings, gather case details, handle e-signatures, and schedule follow-ups, while maintaining professionalism and discretion in every interaction.

Legal Research & Summarization

Whether it’s case law, procedural rules, or background checks, virtual paralegals can conduct research using tools like Westlaw, LexisNexis, or Google Scholar, and summarize findings for attorney review. This saves hours and ensures attorneys stay focused on analysis, not lookup.

Billing Support & File Management

Many paralegals support back-office functions too, like drafting engagement letters, updating time logs, prepping invoices, or ensuring case files are complete, organized, and compliant with recordkeeping requirements.

Hiring a virtual paralegal isn’t about replacing your team, it’s about empowering them. You get more done, move faster, and increase capacity without overloading your in-house staff or adding another W-2.

Why Law Firms Trust GlobalTeam for Paralegal Support

In legal practice, precision, discretion, and speed aren’t optional, they’re the standard. That’s why top-performing firms don’t gamble on freelancers or generic staffing platforms. They partner with GlobalTeam.

At GlobalTeam, we specialize in matching law firms with elite virtual paralegals who are trained, vetted, and ready to operate at the highest level of legal support. We don’t just send résumés. We build leverage into your firm. Here’s how we deliver:

13-Step Global Hiring Process™

Every virtual paralegal we present is GlobalTeam Verified™, rigorously screened across legal English fluency, confidentiality awareness, technical skills, and values alignment. We filter 200+ applicants per role and certify only the top 1–2%.

Legal-Tech Proficiency

From Clio and MyCase to LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Microsoft 365, our candidates are fluent in the tools your team already uses. No steep learning curves. No time wasted on onboarding.

Global Reach. Local Alignment.

While our talent pool spans Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, we align your hire to your time zone, legal system familiarity, and communication standards. Whether you’re a boutique firm or a national practice, we match for precision and professionalism.

Strategic Support — Not Just Staffing

We don’t disappear after the hire. Our dedicated client success managers provide onboarding guidance, performance check-ins, and role optimization strategies, ensuring your VA delivers real ROI, not just short-term relief.

For law firms that want to stay lean, scale smarter, and protect attorney time, GlobalTeam isn’t just a vendor,  we’re your hiring partner.

Start Strengthening Your Legal Team the Smart Way

Hiring a virtual paralegal allows your firm to operate with precision, agility, and the kind of consistency that supports attorneys in every stage of the legal process. After seeing how much time, overhead, and operational stress firms eliminate through dedicated remote support, it becomes clear why this model has become the strategic choice for founders who want to work with confidence while expanding capacity. 

When attorneys regain control of their workload and shift their focus back to legal strategy, client experience improves naturally and case outcomes strengthen.

If your firm is ready to elevate its operations through reliable, highly trained support, this is the moment to explore what a GlobalTeam virtual paralegal can do for your caseload, your margins, and your peace of mind. You can take the first step today, simply book a free consultation and discover how we can match you with a legal professional who fits your practice and helps your team work at its best.

Frequently Asked Questions about how to Hire a Virtual Paralegal