Compare
Hiring your own paralegal means recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, payroll and training, then reviewing their work until they’re up to speed. Our founders lived this: finding experienced, bilingual immigration assistants was one of the biggest challenges of growing their own firm. Bella exists to solve it.
The short answer
Bella recruits, background-checks and trains every assistant. You tell us what your firm needs, we send a tailored proposal, and we get started.
Every Bella is fluent in English and Spanish and trained hands-on inside a working immigration law firm before placement.
Bella’s office manager meets with your assistant daily and reviews their work before it reaches you, and you can review every task completed on your cases each day.
Side by side
| Bella Legal Assistants | Hiring in-house | |
|---|---|---|
| Who recruits and vets the assistant | Bella, including background checks | Your firm |
| Immigration paralegal experience before they start | Yes: trained hands-on inside a working immigration law firm | Depends on who you can find and hire |
| Who trains them on immigration work | Bella, before placement and as the law changes | Your firm |
| Who reviews the work before your attorney sees it | Bella's office manager, every day | Your attorneys or senior staff |
| Who the assistant answers to | Bella's office manager, working on your daily assignments | Your firm |
| English and Spanish | Every assistant | If you can hire for it |
| Commitment | Month-to-month, or lock your rate for 6 months | Employment, payroll and benefits |
| Cost | From $12/hour | Salary, taxes, benefits, equipment and office space |
Comparisons describe common arrangements in each category, not any specific company. Providers differ, so ask any provider who trains, supervises and reviews the work.
A fair comparison
If you need someone physically in the office for walk-in clients, mail and original documents, or you are building a long-term in-house team, hiring locally may be right. Many firms combine both: an in-house team supported by a Bella for calls, documents and petition preparation.
Tell us about your caseload and we’ll send a plan. English and Spanish legal assistants available.
