Purpose

Throughout the course, you are expected to keep a log of the time you spend on the various course activities. As a paralegal, one of your biggest responsibilities is keeping proper records of what you and your firm do, including time-entries. As Barbara Liss, a paralegal manager at a law firm describes:

"...recording our billable time is amongst the most important writing we will ever author. Time entries are our most common form of communication with our clients and employers. We tell them not only the nature of the work we have undertaken and why it important, but also by virtue of how we couch our time records we inform about how sophisticated we and the work we perform are."

For further information on the practicalities and importance of time-keeping, read more from Barbara here: Billable Time as an Effective Communication Tool.

Instructions

In Chapter 1 of your text on pages 16 and 17 is a Chapter Opening Scenario Case Study that outlines detailed instructions on how to keep track of time in this course. The categories in the textbook instructions assume you are attending a face-to-face course, so create task categories that make the most sense given the course is online. You may use a notebook, Excel, or download the 120-day free-trial version of AbacusLaw. Keep in mind:

If you record time in a notebook, you will need to have access to a scanner to submit the assignment at the end of the course in your trial notebook. Make it organized, readable, and professional looking.
If you use Excel, you can find a template online that works best for you. Use these tutorials if you aren't sure how to do something in Excel by selecting the version of MS Office you are using and then selecting MS Excel: MS Office Tutorials
If you use AbacusLaw, you will need to export your time-keeping record in a file format that can be viewed without AbacusLaw software.

Time-Keeping Tips

The best way to keep track of your time is to log your tasks/time as you complete them. Trying to think back over the last week or two to try to figure out your time is inefficient and, most likely, inaccurate. Here is an article that discusses tips and tricks for recording accurate time: Billable Hours Guide
This is not something to quickly do to get out of the way. Take time to create a solid system and make a commitment to thoughtfully recording your time-logs. This is great practice when working in the field.

Grading Criteria

Your time-log will be submitted with your trial notebook at the end of the course. The following will be considered when grading them:

Organization - Is the time-log organized and laid out thoughtfully and in a user-friendly manner?
Accuracy - Is the time-log accurate with time consistently rounded to 1/10 of an hour?
Categories - Are time-categories practical, logical, and defined?
Thoroughness - Are entries kept throughout the duration of the course?
Professionalism - Is the time-log tidy and free of errors?