Customer Story

How James Scott Farrin Built a Mock Case Training Program They Once Thought Was Impossible

Learn how one of North Carolina's largest personal injury law firms built a repeatable mock case training experience that gets new paralegals handling real cases confidently and independently — starting in week two.

TL;DR

The short version (TL;DR)

Company: James Scott Farrin

Challenge: Empower new paralegals to be consistent and independent in their first weeks.

Solution: Developed a repeatable mock case training experience within a training version of their CRM, layered with courses, assignments, and step-by-step digital guides.

Results: Paralegals are now consistently handling cases in their second week with less hand-holding.

The short version (TL;DR)

The Company

HFS Federal Credit Union

The Challenge

Teller training took 6-12 months, with employees relying on supervisors because there was no reliable way to find and follow answers.

The Solution

HFS FCU used ScreenSteps to create step-by-step guides, make them accessible in Sidekick, and implement Find & Follow Training.

The Results

New tellers working independently in 2-3 days, reducing interruptions and easing the burden on trainers.

Fast & Scalable Paralegal Training at James Scott Farrin

2+ Months

Time independence used to take for a new paralegal

Week 2

When paralegals now handle cases confidently on their own

The Company

Law Offices of James Scott Farrin

The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin is one of the largest personal injury law firms in North Carolina, with offices across the state and a large, growing team of paralegals managing cases from intake to resolution. With thousands of clients relying on accurate, timely case handling, consistency isn't just a goal — it's a requirement.

The Challenge

Onboarding That Required Months of Hand-Holding

At the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, paralegals are expected to manage cases from start to finish — accurately, efficiently, and with minimal errors. But building that independence had always been a challenge.

New hires were assigned cases in their second week, but every step required guidance. Leads walked paralegals through the process one action at a time, relying on shadowing, printed protocols, and patience.

Real independence could take several months to develop.

The problem was clear:

No safe environment to practice before touching a real case
Training relied on whoever was available to guide them
Every new hire needed the same hand-holding from scratch
There was no repeatable, scalable way to get paralegals job-ready

So even when leads had documented the right steps, the only reliable way to learn the job was to do it — on a live case, with real clients.

For the training team, this created a constant cycle of hand-holding, repeated guidance, and leads pulled away from their own caseloads to support new hires throughout the day.

“Their first case would be an absolute hand-holding experience with their lead, step-by-step, every step of the way. And independence would take several months.”

Lindsay Marr
Head of Training and Operations Analyst, Law Offices of James Scott Farrin

The Vision

Law Offices of James Scott Farrin

The Solution

A Mock Case Training Experience Built With ScreenSteps

The training team at James Scott Farrin built a fully structured mock case program inside ScreenSteps — giving every new paralegal a safe, repeatable environment to learn the job before doing it for real.

Paralegals begin by working through ScreenSteps micro-courses organized into learning paths. These introduce the firm's CRM, standard procedures, communication expectations, and key workflows — giving new hires the foundation they need before tackling live case complexity.

Step 1

Built Foundational Understanding Through Learning Paths

Once initial training is complete, new hires are given access to a sandbox version of the firm's CRM. There, they work through a full mock case — same tools, same systems, same procedures as a real case — but in a consequence-free environment.

Assignments tied to each stage of the case
Each assignment linked to specific ScreenSteps courses and articles
Step-by-step guides and decision trees available inside the ScreenSteps Sidekick browser extension

Step 2

Completed a Full Mock Case in a Safe Training Environment

Assignments tied to each stage of the case
Each assignment linked to specific ScreenSteps courses and articles
Step-by-step guides and decision trees available inside the ScreenSteps Sidekick browser extension

Lindsay and team leads review each assignment and debrief with the new hire afterward. These checkpoints clarify mistakes, reinforce accuracy, and help each paralegal grow before touching a live case.

Step 3

Reviewed Progress and Reinforced Learning

The entire program — from micro-courses to mock case flow — lives inside ScreenSteps. Updates are fast, content is centralized, and the experience is identical for every new hire. It runs the same way whether you're onboarding one paralegal or twenty.

Step 4

Built to Update, Built to Repeat

Pro Tip

Deliver answers where work is actually happening

The ScreenSteps Sidekick browser extension became a key part of Find & Follow training at HFS FCU. New hires kept it open within their core (Corelation Keystone) and used it to find answers in real time as situations arose.

Instead of digging through folders or guessing which article to open, employees could ask a question and quickly get pointed to the exact steps they needed.

Pro Tip

Deliver answers where work is actually happening

The ScreenSteps Sidekick browser extension became a key part of Find & Follow training. New hires kept it open within their core (Keystone Correlation) and used it to find answers in real time as situations arose.

Instead of digging through folders or guessing which article to open, employees could ask a question and quickly get pointed to the exact steps they needed.

“They were always assigned a case early on. The difference now is how prepared they feel. They've already done it all in training, so it doesn't feel new or overwhelming.”

Lindsay Marr
Head of Training and Operations Analyst, Law Offices of James Scott Farrin

The Results

Confident Paralegals, Less Hand-Holding, Faster Ramp-Up

With the mock case training program in place, paralegals at James Scott Farrin are still handling real cases in their second week. The difference is how they feel doing it.

2+ Months

Time independence used to take

Week 2

When paralegals now work confidently on their own

James Scott Farrin changed how new paralegals are brought on — shifting away from constant lead supervision and toward a model where new hires could work through cases on their own.

That shift showed up quickly. Instead of stopping to ask for help at every step, paralegals were navigating cases with confidence — because they'd already done it once in training.

Within their second week, the difference was clear.

Confident Casework

Paralegals enter live work with clarity — they've already done it all in training.

Less Hand-Holding

Onboarding requires far less step-by-step guidance from team leads.

Consistent Processes

Fewer mistakes across the board through repeatable, structured training.

Scalable at Scale

A repeatable program that runs the same way for every new paralegal hire.

Discover the Find & Follow Framework

The Find & Follow Framework gives employees the confidence to handle any task, without memorizing every step or relying on a manager for answers.

See How It Works

“If you'd told me at the start of the year we'd have a mock case training program for our paralegals, I would've laughed at you. I'm so thrilled that we actually have it now.

Lindsay Marr
Head of Training and Operations Analyst, Law Offices of James Scott Farrin

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