A critical aspect of practicing law is the duty to supervise others. Let’s face it: Attorneys cannot do it all. For this reason, managerial and other senior attorneys often rely on junior attorneys, non-lawyer staff, and paralegals to assist with the day-to-day operations of a legal practice. This often includes delegation of legal tasks, communication with clients, or billing and organizational tasks.

It is commonplace—and often necessary—for lawyers to delegate to others, but there can be severe consequences if attorneys fail to adequately supervise less-experienced attorneys or other staff. The commonplace of remote work has only added to the complexity of supervisory obligations. Supervisory attorneys may need to rely on different measures to monitor junior staff and may find that they have less insight into day-to-day operations without the benefit of face time in the office.