When an advocate needs an assistant and what qualities they should have – webinar

When an advocate spends a significant portion of their workday on documents, records, administrative tasks, and initial communication with clients, having a legal assistant becomes essential to maintaining the quality of case work. In this role, initiative, confidentiality and the ability to prioritize are highly valued.

This was discussed during the webinar «How to become the ideal legal assistant», hosted by the UNBA NextGen in the Poltava region. The event was moderated by the Committee’s regional representatives Dmytro Makeev and Maryna Yus’kova. The speakers were legal assistants Anastasia Milashchenko and Vladlena Dolzhanitsa, as well as the Committee’s deputy chairman Vladislav Kormushin.

According to V. Kormushin, an advocate must think strategically, build a defense strategy, and analyze case law; however, in practice, they may end up spending time on technical routine tasks. And the critical point, in the advocate’s opinion, is when 30–40% of the workday is spent not on legal analysis but on administrative tasks. Another red flag is limited capacity. When an advocate cannot take on new clients (or clients have to wait a long time for responses) and cannot keep up with current cases, there is a risk of missing deadlines. Under such conditions, he said, an advocate needs support to maintain their reputation and professional standards.

The speaker emphasized that an assistant is not just «an extra pair of hands». They can handle initial communication, organize client requests, and prepare the case background for the advocate. This frees up time for developing strategies, conducting negotiations, appearing in court, and building expertise.

V. Dolzhanitsa elaborated on the practical aspects of this work. Among the daily tasks, she listed communicating with clients, scheduling consultations, coordinating the advocate’s schedule, and preparing drafts of procedural documents, advocate’s inquiries, and other documents. The assistant also analyzes legislation, works with the Unified State Register of Court Decisions, participates in formulating the firm’s position on cases, and organizes evidence. A. Milashchenko noted that it is important for an assistant to understand the advocate’s work style, plan time effectively, and work with current legislation, the Electronic Court system, the Judicial Authority’s website, and the Register of Court Decisions.

According to V. Kormushin, when selecting a legal assistant, an advocate should focus on the candidate’s ability to work with digital tools, independence, responsibility, stress resilience, and confidentiality. A legal assistant should not wait for constant instructions but rather identify a problem, analyze it, and propose solutions.

That is why he called initiative the assistant’s most valuable asset. As an example, the speaker cited preparation for a court hearing, when the assistant reviews case law in advance, prepares an extract from the registry, or drafts a statement. Time management and the ability to distinguish between what is important and what is urgent are equally important.