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Managing Your Business, Clients, and Mattersin the Cloud by Bob Godnik . . . . . . . . . .
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Introduction
Theres no guarantee to landing a lucrative first-year associate position right out of
law school. In fact, more new lawyers than ever before are hanging out a shingle after
they pass the bar. Veteran lawyers, weary of the big law grind, are also feeling their
entrepreneurial oats, as are some in-house lawyers itching to go out on their own.
The quickest and easiest way to start your own practice or to transition from a law
firm to a solo venture is with a virtual office.The barrier to entry is low: You can sit
down at the kitchen table, open your laptop, and start working on client matters right
away. However, any law firm considering virtual lawyering should proceed with
caution, one step at a time, to determine which methods are most effective and
ethical.
In this guide, well share the best tips, tools, and practices that will help you run a
thriving virtual law firm.
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added bonus: You dont have to use your personal number for both business and
pleasure.) You can also look for a service with voicemail transcriptions, conference
calls, call recording, and other invaluable features.
4. Virtual Communication and Collaboration Software
As an attorney, meeting with associates and clients is an important part of the job.
Connecting eye-to-eye with your clients is incredibly important when it comes to
establishing trust. So when running a virtual law firm, its imperative that you use
cloud-collaboration technology that interacts with a webcam so that you can meet
without having to be in the same physical location. Explore options such as Skype,
Slack, GoToMeeting, and Google+ Hangouts.
5. A Virtual Assistant
Consider using a virtual assistant to reduce your administrative workload and allow
you to spend more time practicing law. Fortunately, many companies provide this
service at an affordable rate. See the chapter by Ruby Receptionists for more
information on this.
6. Document Signing Software
Long gone are the days of printing, signing, and faxing. Instead, when it comes to
documents that require a signature, you can invest in a digital signing application like
DocuSign which allows you to access and sign documents on your computer or mobile
device. If you require the signature of another party, you can upload documents from
your computer, send an email alert, and indicate where all signatures and/or initials
are needed.
7. Cloud Legal Practice Management
As a virtual attorney, it is imperative that you have the ability to manage your entire
firm from anywhere. This is where a reputable cloud practice management program
comes in. All-in-one software solutions like Rocket Matter will allow you to stay on
top of calendars and tasks, invoice clients and accept online payments, organize
documents with unlimited storage, exchange documents with clients, and much more.
Not only can you access your information on your computer, but the cloud also
ensures you have military-grade secure access to your information 24/7 from your
mobile devices.
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Billing practices that include sending delayed or unclear statements will lead directly
to delayed or incomplete payments. The more time you let pass between helping your
client and actually billing them, the more likely they might question that the bill is
correct. The fewer details you include on the bill, the less clients will trust it. Law
practice management software can help you avoid these mistakes by making it easier
to record your time as you spend it. That means you can provide clients with timely,
detailed statements while putting in a lot less effort.
Increase Productivity
A legal practice management platform can greatly help increase law firm productivity.
Find one that offers the following features:
Automated Document Assembly
Many attorneys create the same documents repeatedly, from retainer agreements to
documents filed with the court. Automated document assembly is an easy way to cut
down on time and errors.
Workflows and Templates
It is likely you are repeating the same group of steps when handling matters of a
similar type. Instead of recreating these steps each time you open a new matter, you
can create a template of steps and then apply it with one click when needed. Your
cases may need different sets of fields based on the matter type, such as pre-made
tasks, due dates, calendar events, contacts, and custom fields.
Firm and Client Insight with Analytics
Many firm owners only look at how much revenue a practice area generates without
considering all of the costs involved to acquire those clients and to service those
cases. Without knowing the full picture, you may be focusing your efforts in the
wrong areas. Fortunately, a legal practice management system can make it easier than
ever to gather useful such useful data.
Origination
When you create a new contact or matter, you can enter precise information on how
you connected with that client. If it was through a referral, for instance, you can enter
the name of the referring person, the company, and a category such as accountant or
real estate agent.
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Collection Reports
Invoicing a client doesnt necessarily mean collecting on an account. Collection
reports will give you accurate insights into which clients pay and which dont. When
you compare the revenue collected with the cost to acquire a client and the cost of
handling the matter successfully, youll know exactly how much money you made from
each client, each case type, and each practice area. Armed with this information, you
can make informed decisions.
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For states where there is an office requirement, a virtual law office typically meets
the definition for an office as it has all of the features of a traditional office. The only
difference is that you purchased it using an alternative economic arrangement. So if
you need to make this argument in your jurisdiction, just make sure that your virtual
office, in fact, functions like a working office.
Finally, like brick and mortar firms, a virtual firm must maintain due diligence when it
comes to security of data and client information. There are many reputable cloudbased solutions that make maintaining security and secure communications much
easier.
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RULE 6: Make sure all devices you own are up to date with latest
security patches.
Reason: New vulnerabilities are discovered all the time in the cat-and-mouse game
that is cyberwar. The vulnerabilities, once found, are sold on the black market.
Tip: Turn automatic updates ON for all of your devices operating system.
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Here are the basics for using keywords with your posts:
Answer a question
Solve a problem
Teach about a topic
Map each page/post to a focus keyword
Use each focus keyword once
Link page/post content to other page/post focus keywords
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Contributing Authors
Wed like to thank and acknowledge the following contribution authors:
Richard Granat is a lawyer and a recognized expert on the delivery of legal services
over the Internet. Richard created one of the first virtual law firms in the United
States and is also is the Founder of DirectLaw, Inc., a virtual law firm platform
provider. In 2009, theABA Journal recognized Richard as one of 50 Legal
Rebels,throughout the Unites States - individuals who are engaged in changing the
legal profession.
Katie Hurst, Marketing Communications Manager, Ruby Receptionist
Stephen Furnari is a self-employed corporate attorney and the founder of Law
Firm Suites, the operator of coworking spaces and executive suites for law firms.
Through Law Firm Suites, Furnari has helped dozens of attorneys launch and grow
successful law practices.
Bob Godnik is an attorney with a passion for technology. He helps attorneys grow
their practice through legal technology, website design and digital marketing.
Andrew S. Kucera practices real estate/business law, estate planning, and elder law
in Fresno, CA. Kucera is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at San Joaquin College of
Law in Clovis, CA.
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