There are few businesses that are as busy as a law firm and also require such dedication to accuracy and detail. After all, mistakes in law can carry significant risks for your law firm. The best foundation for avoiding these mistakes will always be your staff. But good legal assistants are hard to come by. There is, however, a 21st-century solution to this problem: virtual paralegals and legal secretaries for law firms.
It's likely that this is a solution you haven’t considered. But it’s one you need to start considering if you want to remain competitive and successful. All business decisions, of course, need careful analysis, where all the pros and cons are weighed up. Without the experience of virtual assistants, though, it can be difficult to make a firm decision. Thankfully, Pineapple is rich in this experience, and we’re going to share it with you.
A Beginner’s Guide to Virtual Assistants
Virtual assistants have been making headlines for several years now, but you may have missed them. Running a law firm is an intensive role, and keeping up to date with every new business development is difficult. But, don’t worry, it won’t take you long to get up to date. And, when you are, you’ll understand that virtual paralegals and legal secretaries for law firms are the way, forwards.
So, what is a virtual assistant? Well, consider your traditional solution for a paralegal or legal secretary. You would employ them and then every working day they would commute to your office and work from a desk. While this has traditionally been seen as the best solution, especially for coffee runs, advances in technology have now challenged this status quo. And, in almost every area, virtual assistants are proving to be superior.
A virtual assistant is a type of assistant who can do everything an in-house assistant can do, but they work remotely. All they need to get started is a high-speed internet connection and a computer. Yes, that’s right, they don’t need to commute to your workplace. They can connect directly to your IT and telecommunication systems from anywhere in the world. This means your law firm is suddenly opened to a global pool of talent. It’s a scenario that would have been unthinkable a decade ago, but it’s now a reality.
Everything You Need to Know about Legal Virtual Assistants
The availability of virtual paralegals and legal secretaries for law firms means that your business can quickly transform its productivity. Also, it’s crucial to remember that a legal virtual assistant is highly cost-effective. And this is more important than ever due to the global economic crisis affecting businesses.
But what can virtual paralegals and legal secretaries do for your law firm? Sure, you now know the basics of how a virtual assistant operates, but what exactly does a legal virtual assistant bring to the table? Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that they can do a lot and you can deploy them in the following areas:
Organizing case files:
Legal cases, even the most straightforward ones, are infamous for their complexity. Consequently, the case files which form the backbone of these actions can be difficult and time-consuming to organize. Nonetheless, they are vital for a successful case.
With a virtual paralegal on board, your law firm can quickly streamline its case file organization process. They can assist with tasks such as digitizing and categorizing documents, creating a logical folder structure, and ensuring that all documents are filed on time.
Managing emails:
Let’s face it, attorneys have to deal with a lot of emails in the digital age. This puts a significant strain on their time and focus. But it doesn’t have to be like this.
A virtual legal secretary can make life much easier by managing your attorneys’ emails. As well as categorizing and prioritizing important messages, they can reduce clutter in your inboxes by filtering out spam/junk emails. This leaves your attorneys aware of which messages need urgent action and allows them to find important emails more quickly.
Preparing clients for hearings:
Virtual paralegals are an excellent resource for preparing clients for hearings. They can help gather and organize important documents, communicate with clients about what to expect at the hearing, and even conduct mock hearings to help them feel more comfortable and less anxious.
All of these elements of preparing a client can, thanks to technology, be facilitated remotely, be it by phone or over video calls. Therefore, you can rest assured that your clients are in safe hands and they will be confident about attending hearings.
Writing legal documents:
When it comes to writing legal briefings or documents, virtual paralegals can be incredibly valuable. Due to their knowledge of legal terminology combined with razor-sharp research skills, they can help with drafting and formatting legal documents, as well as proofreading and editing. This means that virtual paralegals can save attorneys time and money by taking on some of their administrative tasks, allowing attorneys to focus on tasks that only they can handle.
Plan and book trips:
Travel is an essential part of being a legal professional, but the planning and administration involved in facilitating this is difficult to manage. Attorneys, for example, have cases to focus on, and attempting to book a hotel is way down on their list of priorities. So, to free up their time and maximize their results, you can delegate this task to a virtual legal secretary. They can help with scheduling flights, hotels, and transportation, and even research the best options based on the attorney's preferences.
Manage social media accounts:
Social media has revolutionized the way businesses communicate, and this even applies to legal industries. Naturally, your law firm won’t be looking to go viral on social media, but it needs to maintain a presence. As you’ll agree, though, as the owner of a legal firm, you have more pressing day-to-day issues to deal with. This is where a virtual paralegal and legal secretary can step in. By posting regular content and engaging with clients through your social media platforms, they will be able to enhance your public image and ensure your law firm remains relevant.
Invoicing and billing:
Every law firm relies on a steady stream of invoices and bills to keep your business moving forwards. But attorneys and business owners don’t have the time to focus on these administrative tasks. Luckily a virtual legal secretary can take care of everything from generating invoices and tracking billable hours to handling client payments and sending reminders for overdue payments. This ensures that your balance sheet remains healthy and minimizes distractions for your legal professionals.
How Do You Start Working With Virtual Legal Assistants?
As you can see, virtual paralegals and legal secretaries for law firms can make a significant difference. Not only can they help you grow your law firm, but they can take care of every possible administrative task you can think of. The question is, though, how do you find and secure these world-class assistants? After all, surely everyone is after them?
While this is true, you can get a head start on your competitors by teaming up with Pineapple. Thanks to our years of experience in the virtual assistant industry, we have developed relationships with some of the finest virtual assistants in the world. This means we can instantly take the hard work out of your search. And, in next to no time, these virtual paralegals and virtual secretaries will be working for your law firm. To take your first steps with Pineapple, just get in touch with us by clicking here.
