virtual paralegals

Litigation Can Be A Rollercoaster

• “Litigation can be a rollercoaster. Several cases may come in a flurry, or none may arise for several months.  Maintaining staff for the peak periods can be a sizable ongoing cost for salaries and benefits.  On the other hand, not having people when needed can result in overlooking crucial information, making mistakes, or missing deadlines.” (It’s Discovery Time — Do You Know Where Your Electronic Data Is? Michael J. Connor, Contributor, Litigation Support TODAY, November 2009/January 2010)

If you are a litigation attorney, paralegal or legal secretary, the rollercoaster picture and quote above evoke all-too-familiar feelings which you have experienced firsthand.  Those feelings of being dangerously close to out-of-control.  Attorneys have been fighting this battle for years.

Perhaps, you are a solo or small firm practitioner with an established, but yet small, practice which for the most part excludes litigation.  You find yourself with a welcomed new client, and suddenly you have 10 or more active litigation files in various counties governed by various court rules and practices.  Those feelings of being dangerously close to out-of-control surface for you now.

In the midst of our current economic recession, many attorneys are considering for the first time a working relationship with a virtual support professional to deal with those “out-of-control” times.

An ongoing relationship with a virtual paralegal is a viable alternative for many reasons.  The most important reason is simply that you are not required to pay for office space, equipment, full salary and employee benefits for an employee.  You can get the additional support on a contract basis, paying only for the services you need.  It’s a better fit for your bottom line.

Maybe that bottom line would also look better if you lined up someone who could bill your clients on a regular basis.

I urge you to consider, however, that it is always best to have a plan for those peek times of productivity or need for specialized assistance.  You’ve heard that saying, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” Don’t wait until the crisis hits to begin your search for future support needs.  Don’t miss any deadlines.  Don’t miss that critical information.   Don’t make a critical mistake because you did not have the support you needed. 

Begin your search today to locate the virtual paralegal who can assist you when that next major project or litigation spurt comes in your practice.  Remember, virtual paralegals are often highly specialized professionals with years of legal experience.  We network with other virtual paralegals, and we operate on a system of referral networks just like attorneys.   There is a virtual paralegal out there who meets your unique needs.  Great working relationships develop over time.  That doesn’t mean they can’t be packaged in the quantity you need.

If you need help locating a virtual paralegal for your practice, don’t hesitate to email me at cribble@digitalparalegalservices.com.   I will be happy to help you locate a virtual paralegal for your specialty area.

Who isn’t looking for new, cost-effective ways to power their law practice??!!

ABA’s Law Practice Magazine, TechShow Tips Special Issue, outlines a number of tips and tools to add some git-up-and-go to your practice without costing an arm and a leg.

I’m quoting a couple of my favorites below for you to consider.

• Lawyer Marketing Videos. With lawyers’ use of videos burgeoning, what are you waiting for? Seriously. YouTube is now the second most-searched site on the Internet. Whether it’s a modest “welcome to my site” video or something edgier, using online videos to market your practice is something every lawyer should be considering. The cost to have a modest “welcome to my site” video produced generally ranges from $500 to $1,000. One that involves multiple special effects might range from $1,500 to $3,000. Given that viewers today have a short attention span, how long should the video be? A brief video welcoming users to your site should probably be a minute or less. Other forms of marketing videos generally target two to three minutes. **** Is it really worth the cost and effort? Consider this: Online videos are key to driving traffic to a Web site through YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video and even normal Google results. Thus, videos are now a standard part of search engine optimization. Your law practice can even have its own YouTube Channel. An excellent article on this subject may be found at www.law.com/jsp/law/sfb/lawArticleSFB.jsp?id=1202429433261.

• Virtual Assistants. There are many virtual assistant services available on an ad hoc or part-time basis. Why pay someone to sit around and answer the phone in your office when you can have it done by a virtual receptionist? (Check www.totalattorneys.com/our-services/virtual-receptionist for an example of pricing packages.) You can also get receptionists who speak Spanish if that’s part of your client demographic.****Virtual paralegals (check out www.virtualparalegalservices.com) are also available when you need a little extra help. Virtual services are an excellent idea if you’re a solo or still growing your firm and don’t need (or can’t afford) full-time employees.

• Kindle-ize Your Evidence. Lastly, Amazon’s Kindle is not just for reading books, newspapers or periodicals. You can use it for evidence displays, too. Recently we met with one of our favorite litigators, David Oblon of Albo & Oblon LLP, and were fascinated when he told us that he regularly brings his Kindle DX into the courtroom to show the judge demonstrative evidence (as native PDF files), simply handing the Kindle over to the judge. So far, all the judges have been happy to review demonstrative evidence on the Kindle. You can go through a conversion process to get PDFs on the other models, but since the Kindle DX handles PDF files natively, that makes it the device of choice.

Now, who would have thought of using a Kindle in the courtroom to show the judge evidence? Your imagination seems to be the only boundary in utilizing today’s technology!

And, of course, I’m partial to the mention of virtual assistants and virtual paralegals!  The evidence scales are tipping further in favor of virtual assistants (a/k/a legal VA’s) and virtual paralegals as a cost-effective means to getting only the support you need — and not all the other expenses that come with a full-time employee.

To read other tips posted in this article by Sharon D.Nelson and John W. Simek, visit the ABA TechShow Tips Special Issue for March/April 2010.

Robert E. Mongue, J.D., Assistant Professor of the Legal Studies Department at the University of Mississippi has started an interesting discussion concerning “independent paralegals” at his blog, The Empowered Paralegal.  Like Professor Mongue, I am still digesting the email he received from Efrem B. Martin of Martin Paralegal Services.  While I agree with some comments Mr. Martin makes concerning “FEAR” and I admire his passion for what he believes, my thoughts do not align with his concerning this topic.  If Mr. Martin has all the qualifications and experience outlined in his email to Professor Mongue, perhaps he should consider going to law school and take the bar exam in the state(s) of his choice so that he can legally practice law.   He might make a great attorney.

No system is perfect, but I dare say, that some system governing attorneys and paralegals is better than no system. Guidelines, rules and regulations are normally put in place because something is needed to protect everyone from those individuals who cross an unclear line.  Those guidelines, rules and regulations are never “perfect,” thus they are continually revised and updated.  Some become so important that they actually become law.

As a new virtual paralegal business owner, I have been learning that it is important to establish systems for your business.  I am diligently working to protect myself against the unauthorized practice of law by establishing the following systems:

1. My paralegal services will be offered to licensed U.S. attorneys only.
2. I will require your execution of an Affidavit identifying the state(s) in which you are licensed, your bar association number(s), and a statement that you are in good standing.
3. The information identified in the Affidavit will be verified with your state bar association.
4. My web site includes an official Disclaimer as well as a conspicuous statement on the Home Page as follows: Digital Paralegal Services provides virtual paralegal support to attorneys licensed in the United States.  WE DO NOT PROVIDE PARALEGAL SUPPORT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
5. All contract documents will include similar provisions.

I am sure the “system” is not perfect and that it will be revised many times over as the role of virtual paralegals continues to be defined by the legal profession.  My goal is to vigilantly abide by the guidelines, rules, regulations, ethics opinions and laws which govern the paralegal profession.

I would like to hear your thoughts, questions, and concerns about the hot topic of virtual paralegals! Click on “Comments” beneath the title of this blog post.  Don’t forget to subscribe to the RSS feed so you won’t miss a single post!  If you prefer getting updates by email, please visit Subscribe via email.

Like it or not, modern technology has greatly affected the practice of law.  Some of those developments have enabled attorneys and paralegals to gain flexibility and choices concerning how they choose to provide legal services.   Many legal professionals have now work from home offices.  Those who have taken that jump generally say they would never go back.  Some attorneys still maintain their regular office, but they have chosen to take advantage of virtual paralegal resources.  This enables them to cut costs for themselves and their clients.

For a number of years, some paralegals have done contract work, also known as freelance work.  This work has been provided on an independent contract “as needed” basis for specific projects.  Today, paralegals are taking the next step by establishing a fully equipped home office.  By eliminating unnecessary commuting and other timewasters, realistically the paralegal can be more productive for attorneys.  Attorneys and clients benefit because the paralegal gets paid only for time actually worked, and the paralegal draws no typical employee benefits.

As attorneys have become specialized, so have paralegals. That premise holds true for brick-and-mortar paralegals as well as virtual paralegals.  By making the decision to work with a paralegal virtually, attorneys now have the option of working with specialized paralegals who are highly proficient in different areas of law.  Attorneys are no longer limited by geographical boundaries, unless they choose to do so.

In this series I will begin taking a look at the practice areas chosen by virtual paralegals, and discuss some of the tools they use to provide virtual support to attorneys.  Tomorrow we will begin looking at virtual litigation paralegals.

I would like to hear your thoughts, questions, concerns about the hot topic of virtual paralegals! Don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss a single post!