One of the most expensive questions a law firm can ask is:
Can they do it?
Of course they can.
A good paralegal can answer the phone.
Handle an administrative task.
Talk to a potential client.
Solve the problem.
Then go back to drafting.
The problem isn't always capability.
It's the switching cost.
Every role asks something different of the person performing it.
Legal work requires one kind of concentration.
Administration requires another.
Enrollment requires presence, listening and responsiveness.
Every time we move someone from one role to another, we're asking their mind to leave one operating mode and enter another.
That transition has a cost.
We just don't see it because it doesn't appear as a line item on the P&L.
Instead, it shows up in interrupted thought.
Dropped details.
Fatigue.
Slower execution.
Work that takes longer than it should.
And eventually, we start diagnosing the person.
They need to manage their time better.
They need to focus.
They need to become more efficient.
Maybe.
Or maybe we designed the work poorly.
The question isn't whether someone can do all of it.
The better question is:
What is it costing them to keep switching?