We all know that legal professionals are busy, and this intense workload translates very quickly into considerable stress. Not only can this affect the performance of your legal team and impact your operational efficiency, but it can also lead to your staff having to take time off. It’s a snowball effect, and one which damages the client service you offer. Clearly, there’s a need to address this workload. A modern solution, which you may not have considered, is a virtual legal assistant.
The Basics of Virtual Assistants Explained
Legal professionals pride themselves on being creative and innovative, and a virtual legal assistant matches these two terms perfectly. Therefore, they’re the perfect fit for your law firm. But the world of law is all about the details, those finer points which make all the difference, and we know you’re going to want to do some intensive research before you make a decision. Luckily, Pineapple has all the information you need on virtual assistants.
Initially making themselves known to the wider world around the start of the 2010s, virtual assistants have experienced a significant rise in adoption by businesses in the last five years. The dawn of high-speed internet technology for all, at the end of the 2000s, meant anyone with a PC could suddenly do a lot more than bid on Ebay and download MP3s. In particular, everything got better from download speeds, bandwidth, and connection quality.
Modern internet connections make even more possible for those on a PC at home. This means a remote assistant can conduct uninterrupted telecommunications, transfer huge files in seconds, access cloud computing services, and collaborate with colleagues as if they were sat right next to them. In fact, a virtual assistant can do almost anything an in-house assistant can do. With just a PC, an internet connection, and a set of login credentials for your server, a virtual legal assistant can connect to your infrastructure and get to work.
The ascent of virtual assistants increased rapidly during the pandemic, with remote working labelled the new normal. It’s well known that remote assistants are in demand and many legal assistants are making the switch to remote opportunities. It’s an exciting moment for the legal industry and one which your competitors are sure to take advantage of. This becomes even more apparent when you consider the benefits on offer.
The Transformational Benefits of a Virtual Assistant
If you bring a virtual legal assistant into your organization, you know that you’re taking an innovative step towards a new future. But aside from innovation, which always needs to be backed by quantitative results, what else can a virtual legal assistant provide your business? Well, if you like benefits, you can rest assured that a virtual legal assistant is for you. Some of the many exciting benefits on offer are:
-
Cost Savings:
Every business wants to hear about cost savings, and this is especially true for law firms. The good news is that a virtual legal assistant does this with ease. As a remote worker, a virtual legal assistant provides all their own equipment, all you need to give them is a set of login credentials. And, as they’re not a direct employee of your business, you don’t need to offer sick pay, vacation pay, or pension contributions. All of these savings quickly add up, with estimates suggesting you can save around $11,000 per virtual assistant.
-
Access to Global Skills:
If you’re relying purely on local talent, you’re limiting the range of skills available to your law firm. However, by exploring the virtual legal assistant option, you’re instantly expanding your search globally, giving you access to a broader pool of expertise, experience and skills. As well as increasing the likelihood that you’ll secure those specialist skills – such as understanding the finer points of paralegal research – you’ll be strengthening your team by bringing in diverse perspectives.
-
Maximum Flexibility:
The legal industry is fast-paced and intensive, and this is a strong driver behind the burnout epidemic it currently faces. Thankfully, the unmatched flexibility of virtual assistants allows you to counter this demand. With their adaptable contract model, a virtual legal assistant is available when you need them. Whether you require assistance for a few hours daily or intermittently throughout the week, you can rely on their availability.
-
24/7 Coverage:
With most lawyers working more than the standard 40-hour workweek, and often over 50 hours, it would appear there aren’t enough hours in the day for them to achieve all their goals. And these long hours only contribute to high stress levels. But you can eliminate this predicament by working with a virtual legal assistant. With many virtual assistants based in different time-zones, they can easily fit into out-of-hours shifts where they can clear up administrative burdens and provide a contact point for your clients.
-
Enhance Your Productivity:
Adding a virtual legal assistant to your team enables you to boost your efficiency almost overnight. Their expertise allows them to seamlessly handle a range of administrative and operational tasks, a move which allows your in-house legal professionals to be relieved of time-consuming duties. This allows them to focus on their core strengths such as case preparation, client liaison, and finalizing legal documents.
How Can a Virtual Legal Assistant Support Your Team
Aside from these major benefits, a virtual legal assistant can do much more to support your team and push your firm to new highs of productivity. The daily impact of a virtual legal assistant quickly becomes evident, showcasing their value and effectiveness. This is all thanks to their vast experience in the legal industry, an experience which allows them to take on a variety of tasks and relieve the pressure on your legal professionals. The most important duties they can take on include:
- Drafting Legal Documents: The time taken to draft legal documents is time consuming and can easily consume a considerable amount of a legal professional’s day. And this is where you need a virtual legal assistant. Their industry expertise allows them to craft accurate and professional contracts, motions, and pleadings, all of which follow your lawyers’ guidelines. This reduces the burden on your in-house team, speeds up the legal process, and enhances client satisfaction.
-
Calendar Management:
Legal professionals have very busy calendars and managing their schedules is almost a full-time job on its own. Accordingly, your lawyers need to have their calendars managed so that they know exactly where they need to be and when. A virtual legal assistant can provide the solution by organizing appointments, meetings, and court appearances. This avoids conflicting appointments, allows your legal professionals to focus on their clients, and keeps your law firm running smoothly.
-
Client Communications:
Clients need to be in receipt of excellent levels of communication in order to deal with their queries, arrange appointments, and manage their expectations. But your legal professionals will struggle to find the time for this level of administration. Instead, their time is best spent preparing a world-class service for these clients. The presence of a virtual legal assistant makes delegating client communications possible. With a virtual legal assistant managing your client interactions, you can ensure everyone is kept on the same page and your client relationships are strengthened.
-
Document Management:
A virtual legal assistant is highly proficient in the art of document management, and this can make life much, much easier for your in-house team. With a strong emphasis on digital file management, they can ensure that all your case files are up-to-date and readily available through cloud storage and on your internal IT infrastructure. This streamlines document retrieval and ensures your legal professionals have access to their documents at all times, maximizing the efficiency of your law firm.
-
Legal Research:
The complexities of law mean that legal research is an essential part of every legal professional’s day. However, finding the time to carry out this in-depth research is difficult. So, to build a strong case, you need to build it on foundations of strong research. A virtual legal assistant can make the difference here by analyzing statutes, researching case law, and identifying legal precedents. This allows the virtual legal assistant to produce a collection of insights and summaries to help guide informed decision-making.
-
Invoicing and Billing:
The last few years have brought a cash flow crisis for the legal industry, and this means swift and accurate invoicing and billing is the order of the day. Managing billing and invoicing processes can be efficiently delegated to a virtual legal assistant, so this offers a fantastic solution. A virtual legal assistant can track billable hours, generate invoices, process payments, and chase up outstanding balances. This essential duty ensures your law firm maintains a steady cash flow, accurate financial records, and allows your lawyers to focus on client interaction.
Revolutionize Your Practice with a Virtual Legal Assistant
The benefits and critical functions on offer from a virtual legal assistant make them a highly attractive prospect for any forward-thinking law firm. Their ability to transform your legal professionals’ time is unparalleled and opens you up to a whole new world of efficiency and client care. First, though, you need to find one.
With the global spread of virtual assistants at your disposal, it may feel a bit daunting to navigate this new landscape of employment. After all, quantity doesn’t always equal quality. Therefore, you need to partner yourself with the perfect virtual legal assistant, one who shares your visions, values, and dedication to your clients. So, where do you start? Well, you already have as Pineapple is your gateway to success.
Our experience within the virtual assistant industry means we can guide you through the process of hiring a virtual legal assistant each step of the way. Best of all, our roster is picked from the very best virtual assistants available. This means you’re guaranteed a high-quality virtual legal assistant who ticks every box for your law firm.
And with a flat-rate pricing of $9.50 per hour for our virtual assistants, value is also at the heart of everything Pineapple offers. This amazing value is also transparent, with no hidden setup or contract fees. We allow you to pick and choose who you work with, the opportunity to work with the same virtual legal assistant every day, and we make sure a dedicated account manager is available to deal with your every query. This isn’t just value, this is phenomenal value.
Interested in taking that next step? Why not click here to start a conversation with us?
Be one of the many who’ve entrusted their virtual assistant needs with Pineapple.
Book a FREE Discovery Call today and let our Sales Specialists share to you the many ways a virtual assistant can help you and your precious business.
