Q. How much supervision must I give to our paralegals and secretaries?

A. Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 5.3 requires a lawyer with supervisory authority to make reasonable efforts to ensure the nonlaywer’s conduct is compatible with the professional regulations of the lawyer.  A nonlawyer may include any secretary, investigator, intern, or paralegal. Comment [2] to Rule 5.3 states supervising lawyers should be responsible for the nonlawyer’s work product and maintain supervision over the legal aspects of their employment.

ISBA members can browse past ISBA Ethics Opinions, access our Ethics Hotline, and other resources on the ISBA Ethics Page.

[Disclaimer. These questions are representative of calls received on the ISBA’s ethics hotline. The information provided below is meant as an educational tool to highlight potentially applicable Illinois RPC or other ethics resources that might help the lawyer answer the question posed.  The information provided isn’t legal advice.  Because every situation is different, often complex, and the law is constantly evolving, you shouldn’t rely upon this general information without conducting your own research.]