For years I’ve been advocating for greater recognition of the professionals who provide substantive and technical legal support to attorneys.  I propose the greater use of Allied Legal Professional as the term of art that encompasses the wide variety of those professionals whose roles have expanded in collaboration with technological advancements – evolving in complexity and importance across the spectrum of legal services.

You’ll notice I don’t use the term ‘non-attorney.’ In everyday conversation, we do not refer to people as ‘non-doctors,’ ‘non-engineers,’ or ‘non-architects’ and for good reason. These labels are unclear and reduce people to what they are not, rather than recognizing their expertise.

This recognition goes beyond a simple name change: support roles are no longer auxiliary—they are integral to the value delivery. It represents a strategic commitment to your firm’s employees and your clients. By highlighting the expertise, technologies, and streamlined workflows, you reinforce the message to clients that you offer cohesive high-quality support services allied with legal counsel. Internally, it supports individuals’ drive for excellence and boosts team morale.

Legal support roles have expanded past traditional definitions.  Take for example, the proliferation of e-discovery specialists. Many of these professionals began their careers as paralegals or case assistants. They are hands-on day-to-day power users.  They understand the growing complexity and volume of digital evidence, and are your experts in legal technology platforms, data analysis, and compliance. There are many other examples of ALP’s in every organization.

Moreover, ALPs have formed long-standing relationships with solution providers and are usually the first adopters of new technology.  Solution providers are essential partners – ALPs often collaborate with providers on function and design improvements that lead to industry advancements.

Now is the ideal time to embrace this recognition, especially as the legal industry navigates the rapid expansion of AI tools and the implications for the future structure of law firms.  The integration of AI tools will drive, even necessitate, firms to implement new workflows, support new SME’s for compliance requirements, and innovations across the workforce. This will be essential to remain competitive.