When you hire a law firm, you are not just retaining “a lawyer”, you are often retaining a legal team that works together to move your matter forward efficiently and safely. Understanding legal team roles helps you know who is making strategic decisions, who is drafting and filing, who is gathering evidence, and who you should contact for updates.

This guide breaks down the most common roles you may see in Jamaica (and in cross-border matters involving Jamaica), what each person typically handles, and how the team structure can change depending on whether your matter is litigation, arbitration, a regulatory issue, or a transaction.

Why legal team roles matter in real cases

Most legal matters involve more than one type of work happening at the same time, for example:

• Legal strategy and risk assessment

• Document drafting and review

• Evidence collection and organisation

• Court, tribunal, or arbitration filings

• Client communications and decision points

• Negotiation and settlement discussions

A well-run team assigns those tasks to the right people. That is good for quality and timeliness, but it also protects you as the client. Clear role separation reduces the risk of missed deadlines, inconsistent advice, or documents going out without the right level of review.

It also helps you communicate better. If you know who handles what, you will waste less time chasing the wrong person, and you will get faster, clearer answers.

The core roles you will commonly see in a legal team

Team structures vary by firm and by case complexity, but the roles below are common across many Jamaica-based matters.

Lead counsel (the lawyer accountable for the case)

What they do: Lead counsel is responsible for the overall strategy, major legal judgments, and ensuring the advice you receive fits your goals and risk tolerance. In contested matters, lead counsel typically shapes the litigation plan, settlement posture, and advocacy approach.

You will interact with them when:

• You are giving key instructions (for example, whether to sue, defend, settle, or appeal)

• There is a major change in risk (for example, an injunction application, new evidence, or a regulatory development)

• A hearing, mediation, or negotiation requires high-level strategy

Partner or senior attorney (strategic oversight and high-risk decisions)

In many firms, the lead counsel is a partner or senior attorney. Sometimes a partner provides oversight while another attorney runs day-to-day execution.

What they do: Supervise complex judgment calls, handle major hearings or negotiations, and ensure the team’s work meets the firm’s quality standards. They may also step in when a matter raises novel legal questions, reputational risk, or cross-border coordination issues.

Associate attorney (day-to-day legal work and execution)

What they do: Associates often drive the day-to-day progress of the file. They may draft pleadings, research legal issues, prepare witness statements, review contracts, and communicate updates under the direction of lead counsel.

You will interact with them when:

• You need progress updates

• You are providing documents and background information

• The team needs business context to shape a draft or response

Junior attorney or pupil-at-law (research and drafting support)

In some matters, junior attorneys or pupils-at-law support research, drafting, and document management under supervision.

What they do: Focused legal research, first drafts of internal memos, assistance with bundles, and support for hearings and filings.

Why this can help you: It can improve efficiency because routine but time-consuming tasks are handled at the right level, with supervision and review.

Paralegal (process control, documents, and procedural support)

Paralegals are often the operational backbone of a case. Their scope varies by jurisdiction and firm policy, but they generally do not provide legal advice. They support the lawyers by keeping the matter organised and moving.

What they do:

• Coordinate document collection and organisation

• Prepare draft chronologies and document indexes

• Manage filing requirements and procedural checklists

• Assist with trial bundles and hearing preparation

For a general explanation of how paralegals support legal services (and the importance of supervision), see the American Bar Association’s paralegal resources.

Legal secretary or legal assistant (scheduling, formatting, and logistics)

What they do: Manage calendars, schedule meetings, format and finalise documents, arrange signing and notarisation logistics (where required), and support the filing process.

Why their role matters: Many avoidable problems in legal matters are logistical, missed appointments, missing signatures, incorrect versions, late couriering, and a strong support function prevents those issues.

Practice-area specialist (subject-matter depth)

Some matters require specialist knowledge, even when the case is led by one primary attorney. Examples include:

• Data privacy and regulatory compliance

• Intellectual property strategy and enforcement

• Competition law risk and complaints

• Admiralty and shipping claims, arrests, and maritime risk allocation

• Banking litigation and enforcement

A specialist may be consulted to validate arguments, craft specific clauses, or pressure-test risk.

Appellate counsel (appeals and high-level legal error analysis)

Appeals are not simply “re-arguing” the case. They often turn on legal error, procedural fairness, and the correct application of legal principles.

What they do: Identify appealable issues, shape the record, draft appellate submissions, and argue appeals (where required).

When they appear: After a judgment, or earlier if the matter is likely headed for appeal and the team wants to protect the record from the start.

Mediator or arbitration counsel (alternative dispute resolution)

If your dispute is headed to arbitration or mediation, the team may add or prioritise lawyers with ADR experience.

• Mediation: focuses on negotiation strategy, structured settlement discussions, and documenting settlement terms.

• Arbitration: can resemble litigation, but with different procedural rules, evidence approaches, and enforcement considerations.

If you want a global overview of ADR concepts, the UNCITRAL ADR resources provide helpful background.

External experts (not part of the law firm, but often part of the “team”)

In some matters, especially complex disputes, the legal team may coordinate external professionals such as:

• Forensic accountants

• Valuation experts

• IT and e-discovery vendors

• Medical experts (injury matters)

• Maritime surveyors (shipping matters)

Your lawyers remain responsible for legal strategy, but experts can be critical for proving facts, quantifying damages, or explaining technical issues.

Who handles what: a quick reference table

The exact job titles vary, but the responsibilities below are a useful way to understand legal team roles at a glance.

How the team changes based on your type of matter

If your matter is litigation (civil or commercial)

Litigation usually has the most visible “team” structure because it has hard deadlines, formal filings, and evidence management.

Common division of work:

• Lead counsel sets strategy, approves pleadings, and handles major advocacy.

• Associate drafts pleadings, prepares witness materials, and manages the flow of evidence.

• Paralegal organises documents, versions, and filing requirements.

• Legal assistant coordinates schedules and logistics.

In larger matters, you may also see a second attorney added for hearings, or a specialist consulted for a narrow issue (for example, data privacy, competition concerns, or banking enforcement points).

If your matter is arbitration or mediation

Arbitration can involve extensive written submissions and procedural planning. Mediation is more concentrated, but depends heavily on preparation.

Common division of work:

• Lead counsel shapes negotiation posture, settlement ranges, and concession planning.

• The team prepares a tight “case theory” and a practical settlement plan, including what terms matter beyond money (confidentiality, non-disparagement, timelines, releases, and enforcement).

• Evidence is still important, but presentation is often more streamlined than in court.

If your matter is regulatory, compliance, or risk

In compliance matters (including data privacy and risk law), speed and accuracy are essential because the goal is often to prevent harm before it becomes a dispute.

Common division of work:

• Specialist counsel assesses the regulatory risk and required actions.

• Associate and paralegal help map data flows or operational processes into a legal risk framework.

• Senior review ensures the final advice is defensible and proportionate.

For general context on privacy principles and compliance approaches, the OECD privacy guidelines overview is a useful reference point.

If your matter is transactional (contracts, deals, and advisory)

Transactions often look less dramatic than litigation, but role clarity is just as important because a missed clause can create expensive disputes later.

Common division of work:

• Lead counsel runs risk allocation, negotiation strategy, and final contract positions.

• Associate handles drafting, mark-ups, and issue lists.

• Specialists may be involved for IP, competition, data, or industry-specific issues.

• Support staff coordinate signing, closing checklists, and document execution logistics.

What to expect: how work typically flows through a legal team

Clients often want to know, “Who is actually working on my file today?” A practical way to view a legal team is as a workflow with review gates.

A healthy workflow usually includes:

• Clear intake and fact verification early

• Document and evidence organisation from the start (not at the last minute)

• Drafting at the appropriate level (often associate or junior), then review by senior lawyers

• A final quality and risk check before anything is filed, sent, or signed

Your role as the client: how to help the legal team help you

Even the best legal team cannot do its job without timely, accurate information. The difference between an efficient case and an expensive one often comes down to client-side readiness.

Provide clean facts, not conclusions

It helps to separate:

• What happened (dates, persons involved, documents)

• What you believe it means (your interpretation)

Your lawyers need both, but facts come first.

Centralise documents early

If possible, provide documents in a structured way (for example, folders by year or by project). Even a simple index can save hours.

Also, avoid forwarding long email chains without context. If you can identify the key email, contract version, or attachment that matters, it reduces review time and lowers the risk that something critical is missed.

Decide who gives instructions

For companies, one of the biggest delays is unclear decision-making authority. Agree internally on:

• Who is authorised to instruct the lawyers

• Who can approve settlement terms

• Who can sign documents

This prevents last-minute delays when deadlines are tight.

Smart questions to ask at the start (and why they matter)

You do not need to micromanage, but a few early questions make roles and expectations clear.

• Who is lead counsel for my matter, and who is my day-to-day contact? This prevents confusion when you need quick updates.

• What deadlines do we have in the next 30 to 60 days? Litigation and regulatory matters can turn on one missed date.

• What documents should I preserve immediately? Preservation avoids evidence problems later.

• When will drafts come to me for review, and what level of detail do you want in my feedback? This helps the team incorporate business context efficiently.

• What decisions will require my approval? This clarifies when you need to be available.

What “client-centric” should look like in a legal team

Many firms describe themselves as client-focused, but in practice, client-centric service is measurable. You should typically see:

• A clear point of contact

• Explanations in plain language when decisions are required

• Early discussion of risk, cost drivers, and likely paths (including settlement options)

• Timely updates when something changes, not only when you ask

For matters involving multiple practice areas, client-centric also means the firm coordinates internally so you are not repeating the same background to different lawyers.

Choosing the right legal team for your matter

The best team structure depends on what you are trying to achieve. A high-stakes injunction, an arbitration with technical evidence, or a regulatory investigation calls for deeper senior involvement and tighter process control. A contained advisory matter may be handled efficiently by an associate with senior supervision.

If you are looking for counsel in Jamaica for disputes, regulatory risk, or cross-border commercial issues, Henlin Gibson Henlin is an international law firm offering a broad range of services, including commercial litigation, arbitration and mediation, appellate services, data privacy, compliance and risk law, intellectual property, admiralty and shipping, banking litigation, and competition law and policy.

To discuss what team structure makes sense for your specific situation, you can start at the firm’s website: Henlin Gibson Henlin.