Why Hiring a Freelance Paralegal (Ahem—me) Could Be (is) the Smartest Move Your Texas Family Law Firm Makes This Year (and every year thereafter.)
- Annie Tyson
- Jun 15
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 25
If you were licensed before 2023, you already know that Texas family law isn’t getting simpler. If anything, it’s gotten more complex—over thirty-five legislative changes were implemented in 2023 alone. (You can read more about that from Leslie Barrows; she keeps up with the legislation.) Regardless, the deadlines are fast, the discovery is messy, and no one has time to hold someone’s hand through drafting a motion to compel that actually holds weight. Especially not you, who are a little busy litigating, meeting with clients, and attending therapy (you definitely should be attending regular therapy sessions for choosing to be in family law).
If you're a solo attorney or part of a small firm, the pressure is constant: managing clients, preparing for hearings, drafting pleadings, and trying to meet every deadline the court expects (even when opposing counsel doesn’t cooperate). It’s hard enough finding a paralegal who can do all of that while you concentrate on running a law firm or being in court and consults 24/7, 365.
Did you know that? If you are an attorney and a law firm owner, here’s what that might mean:
The “seasoned” Texas family law paralegals are going to want more money. Period. We know our value, and who really knows what the economy is going to do in the coming years. Every year usually comes with a raise request.
I promise you—if you try to replace us for asking for more money, to save a buck, you will be training paralegals by yourself. Best of luck. Good help is increasingly harder to find.
I’m not going to get started on the most common complaints about the newest generation entering the legal field. (maybe later)
3. You are going to have some hiccups in your case management and overall results. I don’t know if you are aware of this or not, but new paralegals and legal assistants don’t learn how to work in a law firm at school. I personally know a couple of newly graduated legal assistants who literally watch "Suits" for reference. Rude awakening inbound.
4. Who’s going to train them? Your already overworked paralegals are going to have to run your cases, make sure you look like a rock star, and now train new
people. As someone who trains paralegals regularly, I’m telling you—it sucks.
Again, who is going to train them? We all know you are brilliant attorneys. Emphasis on the word "attorney". Yes, We have heard and seen the videos of how much you had to do in law school. Most attorneys do all that to later practice law, not continue to bury yourself in studying, writing and researching for every case and every client. If you want to do that, that's your prerogative, but I don't see your law firm having more than ten clients a year. Maybe that will cover your overhead. As an associate, I don't see that being the career you had in mind. Maybe the Supreme Court will allow avatars to appear in Court for you so you can handle the duties a trained paralegal would be doing for 100s of clients at the same time.
Finding quality people—the diamonds in the rough—takes time, which is a luxury and, frankly, all we have to sell in this life. I remember having a hand in hiring, and the technological process that was supposed to make things easier is overwhelming or expensive and no substitute for face-to-face (even if behind a screen) communication. We’re going to talk about that later, too.
So, if attorneys have all of these positions to fill, and the workload doesn’t get any slower, what’s the plan? Do the turnover game and waste time, resources, and—most importantly—money finding Mr. or Ms. (insert pronoun here), “Right Now,” instead of Mr. or Ms. “Right”?
That’s where a freelance paralegal—one who specializes in Texas family law (and has 16+ years of experience)—comes in. And if you’ve never worked with one before, you might be missing the most cost-effective tool in your practice.
Let’s talk money.
Hiring a full-time paralegal means salary, benefits, payroll taxes, training, and equipment. When you bring in a freelance paralegal, you:
· Pay only for the work you need
· Avoid overhead
· Stay lean while delivering results
· And at the very least—buy yourself time to find someone excellent. Go through a couple of interviews! You just offloaded a decent bit of the drafting without paying $35k to $100k a year and benefits, so your paralegal isn’t in the fetal position under their desk. Or worse—quitting, because they’ve finally hit their limit and walked out mid-motion draft.
Shameless plug: I offer flat rates for certain drafting tasks and hourly rates for more complex projects—starting at $60/hour. Significantly less than what you bill your clients, which means you still profit while offloading work. (I don’t have to spell that out for you—you have a J.D.)
I’m taking on new Texas Family Law attorneys now.
Whether you need help for one case or want someone you can count on regularly, I’d love to talk. Actually, strike that (pun intended). We don’t need to talk. All you have to do is email me. I’ve been a Texas family law paralegal for a long time, and I’m not going to waste your time. If you want to talk, we can—but if you find it faster to shoot off an email and share a client file, I can get started with just a detailed task email request and a deadline.
Grab the Price and Service List—a list of every task I can knock out without a single meeting.📩 Click here to view my Services + Pricing Sheet