Michael is a paralegal with Cranston & Cranston, a large national law firm that handles complex commercial litigation. Michael is working with attorney Jan Houston, who is defending a products liability case. Michael has been assigned to draft the initial disclosure statement, interrogatories, a request for production of documents, and five notices of deposition. Five minutes later, Jan also asks Michael to prepare five subpoenas to third parties, and then states that all of the work must be done within the next two days. From the answer choices listed below, what is Michael's best response?
A)Ask other paralegals in the office if they have time to assist him.
B)Immediately tell Jan that he cannot finish the projects by the deadline, unless some of the assigned tasks are reassigned.
C)Determine how long each assignment will take and discuss with Jan the possibility of reassigning some tasks or extending the deadline.
D)Consider the assignments and the deadlines a sign of how much confidence Jan has in Michael and do whatever it takes to finish the assignments.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Determine how long each assignment will take and discuss with Jan the possibility of reassigning some tasks or extending the deadline. Answer C is the best choice because Michael first considers the amount of time each assignment will require and then discusses reassignment and deadline extension issues with Jan. Answer A is not the best choice because it tends to avoid approaching Jan, her supervising attorney, regarding the situation. Answer B is not the best approach because Michael does not first consider how much time is realistically needed to complete the assignments. Answer D is not the best choice because Michael could become overworked or not meet the deadline.

Michael Is a Paralegal with Cranston & Cranston, a Large