•S  upervision connects paralegals with support networks already in place for higher-level advocacy or litigation. •S  upervision can help ensure the project uses an empowerment approach. The first step in supervising paralegal projects is to choose a supervisor. Two common choices are central office-based project managers and experienced paralegals who may work in the field as “senior” or “supervising” paralegals. Supervisors should have regular meetings with the paralegals they supervise. These meetings can take place on Skype, WhatsApp, or other such platforms if supervisors and paralegals do not work in the same place. Discussions should include problem solving strategies, trends, targets, progress, complex cases, and paralegals’ concerns. If a supervisor manages people in multiple regions, comparing regional practices in this format can be productive. Other ways for supervisors to monitor and oversee paralegals include: •F  ield visits. The supervisor should observe the paralegals at work and give guidance on areas for improvement. •H  olding meetings between paralegal groups where each person presents a recent case and lessons learned. This can develop communication skills—including public speaking, synthesis, and structuring a narrative—and help identify new solutions to difficult cases. THE FIRST STEP IN SUPERVISING PARALEGAL PROJECTS IS TO CHOOSE A SUPERVISOR. TWO COMMON CHOICES ARE CENTRAL OFFICE-BASED PROJECT MANAGERS AND EXPERIENCED PARALEGALS WHO MAY WORK IN THE FIELD AS “SENIOR” OR “SUPERVISING” PARALEGALS. •S  pot checks. Supervisors should call clients to ask if they were satisfied with how their case was handled, the outcome of the case, what they learned in the process, and how the project could do better. •P  articipant satisfaction survey data. Supervisors should discuss any dissatisfied responses. •A  nonymous suggestions boxes. Supervisors should discuss any negative comments with paralegals. •Q  uarterly or bi-annual performance evaluations. Supervisors and paralegals should set and evaluate performance indicators at these meetings. •A  self-audit checklist that paralegals complete periodically. Supervisors can spot-check these. These are a good place to keep track of compliance with ethical codes, and are especially useful if paralegals work in remote areas. •T  imesheets, activity logs, chart of goals, reports on needs, strengths/ weaknesses. Using case forms and databases can facilitate paralegal supervision. When forms and/or databases are used to record all client contact, activity logs can allow supervisors to monitor paralegals’ work efficiently. Spot-checking case records can also be effective. Supervisors can check randomly selected cases for data quality and paralegals’ efforts and follow-up with the client for more information about the paralegal’s work. Electronic databases have simple filters that can be applied to a paralegal’s caseload as entered in a database. It can be useful to search A C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D P R A C T I T I O N E R ’ S G U I D E : D O C U M E N T I N G C I T I Z E N S H I P A N D OT H E R F O R M S O F L E G A L I D E N T I T Y | 81