Hiring a Virtual Legal Assistant in Your Law Firm

Is your legal team drowning in administrative work? Instead of hiring an in-house employee, why not hire a virtual legal assistant?

Virtual legal assistants (VLAs) are just like legal secretaries or legal assistants, except they work remotely. This kind of setup makes VLAs more flexible than on-site employees, and depending on what kind of assistance you need, they can be more cost-effective.

In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know before hiring a legal virtual assistant, including their tasks, the benefits of having one, and how to find the perfect virtual assistant for your firm.

What is a Virtual Legal Assistant?

A virtual legal assistant is a remote employee who helps lighten the workload of law firms.

A VLA can handle a lot of the day-to-day grind, like sorting out legal documents, digging up research to back up cases, chatting with clients, scheduling meetings, and keeping track of billing.

Virtual legal assistants don’t have the geographical and time limitations that in-office assistants have, which means they can do work for you anytime and from anywhere.

What makes them fit for the job is that they’re built or trained specifically for legal work. This means they’re familiar with legal jargon, processes, and, importantly, keeping things confidential.

What Do Legal Virtual Assistants Do?

Legal virtual assistants take on a variety of tasks that help law firms run more smoothly and efficiently. These may include:

Document Preparation and Management

Many virtual legal assistants draft and prepare essential legal documents, including contracts, wills, and pleadings. They often start from templates or under the direction of an attorney to make sure each document is tailored to specific legal requirements.

Another important thing they do is review these documents for accuracy, consistency, and compliance with local laws and regulations. However, your VLA may initially need supervision from an attorney or paralegal.

Additionally, virtual legal assistants organize and manage electronic filing systems, ensuring all documents are securely stored and easily retrievable.

Legal document management includes handling the e-filing processes with the court and seeing to it that all submissions meet the necessary deadlines and requirements.

Legal Research

In some law firms, a remote legal assistant is part of the research process. These assistants delve into case law, statutes, and legal articles to gather precedents and other relevant materials that support an attorney’s argument.

Their research isn’t limited to just legal theories, they also stay up to date on regulatory changes that could impact ongoing and future cases, particularly in dynamic fields like corporate, employment, and environmental law.

Plus, VLAs fact-check all documents to ensure that every citation, reference, and factual claim is accurate and properly sourced, which helps maintain the integrity of legal practice.

Client Communication

Many lawyers simply don’t have time to communicate with clients directly, and they often leave that task to virtual legal assistants.

They often serve as the first point of contact for clients, setting up initial meetings and handling routine inquiries. This role extends to managing ongoing communications, keeping clients informed about the status of their cases, and making sure they feel supported throughout the legal process.

In this way, virtual assistants help maintain strong, trust-based relationships between clients and the law firm, which can contribute to higher client satisfaction and retention rates.

Case Management

Virtual legal assistant services are excellent when it comes to keeping cases organized and on track. VLAs keep all the case-related documents and emails tidy and up to date in a digital file system.

They’re also on top of all the important dates and deadlines, making sure that everyone involved knows what’s due and when so nothing slips through the cracks.

This kind of support is a must for keeping cases moving smoothly and helping lawyers stay focused on the legal work rather than administrative tasks.

Meeting Coordination

Like a standard virtual assistant, a legal virtual assistant can coordinate meetings for lawyers. They schedule everything from client consultations to team strategy sessions. Also, they make sure everyone has the info they need, such as the time, place, and agenda ahead of time.

If there’s a hiccup, like a need for a video call setup or a last-minute room change, a VLA is on it to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.

Time Management

Many lawyers are so busy that they don’t even have time to manage their own time. This is where a virtual legal assistant can come in handy.

VLAs can monitor the clock, track billable hours, and ensure that all time spent on a client’s work is recorded accurately. Such time management helps the firm stay transparent with clients about billing and ensures that the firm captures all the revenue it’s entitled to.

Social Media Management

A VLA can take charge of creating and organizing content that aligns with your firm’s branding and communication goals. This involves drafting posts, curating images, and even creating basic graphics.

Plus, they can schedule these posts for optimal times so that your content reaches your audience when they are most active.

A VLA can also monitor these platforms, track responses to posts, and engage with comments and messages. Responding to inquiries and comments helps maintain a positive and professional image for your firm, which can help build trust and engagement with potential and existing clients.

Does Your Law Firm Need a Virtual Legal Assistant?

There are many clear signs that your firm needs administrative support, but they may not always be obvious. Here are some signs that it might be time to find a virtual legal assistant:

You’re Overwhelmed with Administrative Tasks

If you or your staff find yourselves swamped with paperwork, scheduling, and other routine administrative duties, a VLA can help lighten the load.

Missed Deadlines Are Becoming an Issue

Missing deadlines can lead to lost revenue and dissatisfied clients. If your firm struggles with keeping track of all the critical dates and deadlines across multiple cases, a virtual assistant could help manage your calendars more effectively.

Client Communications Aren’t as Timely as They Should Be

Timely and effective communication is key to maintaining client satisfaction and trust. If responding to client queries, scheduling follow-ups, or keeping clients informed about their case status is overwhelming your current staff, you need a VLA to take over.

You’re Looking to Cut Operational Costs

Hiring full-time staff is expensive, especially when considering salaries, benefits, and other overheads. A VLA can perform many of the same functions at a fraction of the cost, which can provide a cost-effective solution to your staffing needs.

Your Firm Is Scaling Quickly

If your firm is growing faster than you can hire qualified staff, or if you are dealing with fluctuating workloads, VLAs offer a scalable solution. They can adjust more easily to increased demands without the need for significant changes to physical office space or long-term employee contracts.

Inefficiency Is Stifling Your Firm’s Growth

If inefficiency is holding back your firm’s potential—whether it’s due to outdated processes, slow document handling, or poor time management—a VLA might be just what you need to streamline operations and boost productivity.

The Benefits of Virtual Legal Assistant Services

While virtual legal assistants typically take over background tasks, their work offers significant benefits for your legal services. Hiring a virtual legal assistant can give your firm the following:

Increased Productivity

VLAs free up lawyers and paralegals to focus on more complex, billable work by taking over routine and time-consuming tasks. This shift can significantly increase a firm’s overall productivity and allow legal professionals to concentrate on case strategy and client advocacy.

Cost Efficiency

Employing a VLA is generally more cost-effective than hiring additional full-time staff. They can be engaged on a flexible basis, and you can scale their services up or down based on the firm’s current needs. This is particularly beneficial for smaller firms or those experiencing fluctuating workloads.

Better Client Service

VLAs can manage client communications and respond to all client inquiries quickly. This level of responsiveness improves client satisfaction and can improve the reputation of the firm, which can ultimately lead to more referrals.

They also help maintain organized client records and follow-ups so that no details are missed and that clients feel valued and well-served.

Improved Accuracy and Compliance

A good virtual legal assistant can improve the precision of critical legal tasks like billing, case reporting, and legal filings. VLAs see to it that everything adheres to legal standards and meets deadlines.

Such attention to detail minimizes the risk of mistakes and reduces the likelihood of penalties due to non-compliance.

Positive Work-Life Balance

Burnout can affect even the best lawyers, and the legal profession is notorious for coming with heavy workloads. If your lawyers are suffering from poor work-life balance, it may be time to find legal support.

VLAs allow legal professionals to manage their workloads more effectively, which can promote better work-life balance. In turn, this can lead to higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates among staff.

What to Look For in a Legal Virtual Assistant

Once you know what your legal practice needs, it’s time to find a VLA who will complement your firm. Finding the perfect virtual legal assistant can be easy if you know what to look for.

Here are some important skills and characteristics a virtual legal assistant should have:

Legal Expertise and Experience: The ideal VLA should have a background in legal work or a good understanding of the legal industry. This includes familiarity with legal terminology, procedures, and the specific needs of a law firm.
Strong Technological Skills: Since much of a VLA’s work will be digital, proficiency in technology is non-negotiable. They should be adept with legal software tools, case management systems, and office software. The ability to quickly adapt to new technologies and platforms is a huge plus.
Communication Skills: Whether it’s writing emails, handling phone calls, or drafting documents, excellent communication skills are a must. A VLA must be able to convey information clearly and professionally to clients, court personnel, and within the firm.
Attention to Detail: Legal work often requires a high level of accuracy. A VLA must have a keen eye for detail to manage documentation, scheduling, and compliance without errors. This is important in avoiding costly mistakes that could impact legal outcomes or client relationships.
Organizational Skills: Effective organizational skills are vital as VLAs often handle multiple tasks and manage various streams of information at once. Being organized helps make sure that no task is overlooked and that it is systematically managed.
Problem-Solving Abilities: The ability to troubleshoot issues independently and come up with effective solutions is a valuable skill for a VLA. This includes everything from resolving scheduling conflicts to navigating complex document requirements or compliance issues.

Equip Your Legal Assistant With Briefpoint

A virtual legal assistant can take over the most tedious administrative tasks, and the most time-consuming among them is discovery document preparation. However, this doesn’t mean that your assistant should do it manually.

Briefpoint.ai is a generative artificial intelligence tool that drafts discovery response and request documents for you. Instead of spending hours or even days drafting these legal documents, your virtual legal assistant can use Briefpoint to generate them in minutes.

Automate the Discovery Process With Briefpoint

Discovery responses cost firms $23,240, per year, per attorney. $23,240 estimate assumes an associate attorney salary of $150,000 (including benefits – or $83 an hour), 20 cases per year/per associate, 4 discovery sets per case, 30 questions per set, 3.5 hours spent responding to each set, and 1800 hours of billable hours per year.

Under these assumptions, you save $20,477 using Briefpoint, per year, per attorney.

Test Briefpoint yourself by scheduling a demo here.

FAQs About Virtual Legal Assistants

Can virtual legal assistants handle sensitive information?

Yes, with proper security measures in place, VLAs can securely manage sensitive information.

How much does a virtual legal assistant cost?

Costs vary depending on the services provided and the assistant’s expertise level, but they are generally more cost-effective than full-time employees.

Are virtual legal assistants reliable?

Absolutely, especially when you choose well-trained professionals who understand the legal field. However, you still need to do your due diligence in selecting the right employee.

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information.

This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser. Readers of this website should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter. No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this site without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. Use of, and access to, this website or any of the links or resources contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader, user, or browser and website authors, contributors, contributing law firms, or committee members and their respective employers.

How to Reduce Litigation Costs Without Cutting Corners

Litigation almost always requires significant legal resources. Major litigation projects take hundreds–if not thousands–of work hours. There are also court fees, travel expenses, administrative costs, and other related expenses, which can add up to hefty bills.

With these costs in mind, maintaining law firm profitability often goes hand in hand with reducing litigation costs. However, how can you do this without sacrificing the quality of your legal services?

Here are several tried-and-tested strategies to save money on litigation:

1. Simplify Your Legal Team Structure

Reducing litigation costs starts with simplifying your team and playing up to each member’s strengths. These methods can help your team operate more efficiently, which, in turn, can help you reduce labor expenses:

Rely More on Senior Team Members

Senior team members stand out as significant legal assets. Their experience and diverse skills allow them to handle major components of your case with care.

More specifically, they apply their deep knowledge of law in a way that reduces the need to redo work and saves money.

Assign Junior Team Members to Specific Tasks

Assign tasks that match the skill level of people in junior or entry-level legal positions. This may include research, document review, or compilation of discovery materials.

This strategy prevents you from paying high fees for basic duties. It also supports the growth of new team members who will later manage important litigation projects.

Maintain Lean Legal Teams

Try to curate a smaller, focused litigation team. A solid team structure, with fewer yet efficient members, leads to lower legal costs than larger teams.

At the same time, a focus on a minimal workload allows faster and more cost-effective task management.

2. Plan Thoroughly

A solid overall litigation strategy forms the foundation for cost-effective litigation. It breaks down each stage of the process and assigns tasks with purpose. Here’s a closer look at what this involves:

Adopt a Well-Defined Litigation Plan

Having a clear game plan for your litigation can make a huge difference. Decide on your main goal right from the start—whether you’re aiming for a quick settlement or going all the way to trial.

Stick to this goal and avoid any unnecessary legal steps that don’t help you get there. The focused approach saves both time and money by keeping you on track and avoiding detours.

Prepare a Detailed Strategy Outline

It pays to think ahead and consider what might not go as planned. Look into every corner of your case early on. Spotting potential problems before they blow up means you can handle them when they’re still small and manageable.

Outline your strategy step by step, from gathering evidence to how you’ll present your case, so you’re ready for whatever comes your way.

Set Clear Due Dates

Speed and efficiency can save you a lot in the long run. Set clear deadlines for every part of the process and make sure everyone involved knows what’s expected of them. This keeps things moving smoothly and prevents costly delays.

When everyone is clear on their roles and timelines, it cuts down on confusion and wasted effort.

3. Focus on Efficient Litigation Processes

Coordinating litigation processes with efficiency as a top priority can help reduce costs and save resources. There are several strategies that businesses can adopt to achieve this:

Batch Tasks During Active Periods

Grouping similar tasks together and tackling them in one go can smooth out your workload during busy periods. This approach, known as batching, leverages the momentum and focus you already have.

Whether it’s scheduling multiple depositions on the same day or consolidating document reviews, batching can significantly cut down on time and associated costs.

Encourage Sharing Work Product

When team members reuse research, briefs, and document templates, it eliminates the need to redo work that’s already been done.

Encouraging this kind of collaboration requires a shift in mindset and perhaps even some changes in how information is stored and accessed, but the payoff in terms of efficiency and cost savings can be substantial.

Prioritize Discovery

In litigation, discovery can be one of the most time-consuming and expensive phases. Tailoring the discovery process to the specific needs of your case helps avoid spending time and resources gathering unnecessary information.

Focus on what’s truly relevant by defining key issues and targeting discovery efforts accordingly. This targeted approach ensures that efforts and costs are invested only where they are most likely to be beneficial.

4. Make Smart Investments Upfront

Choosing the right places to put your money in can help you make sure that those investments will pay off in the long run. Here are some things you should consider:

Set Up a Solid Litigation Budget

Putting some money aside early on for a thorough litigation budget is a smart play for any legal team.

This step gives you a clear picture of potential costs right from the start, helping you avoid any nasty surprises later on.

Do Your Due Diligence Early

Diving deep into all aspects of the case early can save you a lot of headaches and cash later.

Catching issues at the beginning is usually cheaper and easier to deal with than trying to fix them when you’re deep into the process.

5. Leverage Legal Tech

The latest legal technology offers innovative ways to tackle daily tasks more efficiently and usually at a lower cost. Legal tech can transform how your team operates, improve productivity, and reduce overhead.

Use Legal Tech to Streamline Tasks

Integrating cutting-edge technology into your legal processes can radically improve how you handle routine tasks.

These tech tools are designed to expedite time-consuming jobs, allowing legal departments to devote more energy to the crucial, strategic aspects of your cases.

Implement Document Automation Software

Investing in document automation software can dramatically cut down the time spent on creating and managing legal documents. Instead of starting from scratch every time, your team can use pre-designed templates and automate repetitive tasks like populating standard forms.

This kind of legal software not only speeds up document preparation but also reduces the possibility of errors, which can help make your workflow smoother and more reliable.

Reduce Litigation Costs with the Right Legal Tech Tool

The discovery process is often the most time-consuming part of litigation. That said, it’s also one of the most expensive.

Briefpoint.ai is the legal tech tool to start with if you want to save a significant amount of money on litigation.

With Briefpoint’s generative artificial intelligence, you can cut down your discovery document prep time to minutes instead of hours–that means thousands of savings a year and more time for profitable work.

Save Thousands on Litigation with Briefpoint AI

Under these assumptions, you save $20,477 using Briefpoint, per year, per attorney.

Test Briefpoint yourself by scheduling a demo here.

FAQs About Reducing Litigation Costs

How can senior team members contribute to reducing legal spend in litigation?

Senior team members create a strategic litigation plan early. Their experience helps avoid unnecessary legal fees. They also guide efficient efforts during the case’s most active periods. This careful planning makes sure work is done at a minimum, which saves you money.

Why is it important to do a reasonable investigation early in the legal process?

An early investigation can spot potential issues. When a team overlooks early investigation, it often leads to more work later. Addressing problems promptly saves both time and money for clients.

How can developing a detailed litigation plan in the first few months impact costs?

A detailed plan early on has a big impact. It identifies critical case aspects and manages resources well. Focusing on critical issues early avoids costly litigation. It reduces the need to redo work later, which makes handling cases more cost-effective.

Top 9 Legal Operations Trends of 2024

As we approach the second half of 2024, the legal sector continues to witness significant transformation driven by legal technology, changing regulatory landscapes, and shifting business needs.

Thanks to these developments, day-to-day activities in law firms and legal departments are now faster, easier, and more profitable than ever. All that said, adopting technology solutions has become a necessity for legal teams that want to stay competitive.

Let’s take a closer look at the biggest legal operations trends of this year:

1. Legal Technology is Taking Over Operations

Back then, legal tech tools were only nice-to-haves. In today’s more competitive legal landscape, these tech solutions have become necessary.

Automation and data analytics tools are leading this huge shift to modernized legal tech. Automation transforms repetitive and time-consuming tasks into faster, more consistent processes. These can include anything from document preparation to administrative tasks like scheduling and billing.

Data analytics is also making a big splash. With these tools, law firms can dig into big data to pull out useful insights that inform better decision-making.

Accessibility is another huge plus. With online legal services and virtual law offices, it’s getting easier for more people and small businesses to get legal help without breaking the bank.

2. Alternative Fee Arrangements

Law firms are opening up to innovative financial solutions. The age-old tradition of hourly rates for lawyers is falling out of favor.

In its place, alternative fee arrangements are making headway. These new pricing strategies promise better cost control, which firms find attractive. On the flip side, alternative fee arrangements give clients predictable legal costs and better budget management

This shift reflects the changes in the legal landscape where value and predictability in billing take center stage for clients and their legal service providers.

3. Vendor Management

Vendor management tools have made it much easier for law firms to handle relationships with outside lawyers. These tools keep things organized and make sure that these external lawyers are up to scratch with the department’s standards.

They’re also great for keeping an eye on the money side of things. By tracking spending, these tools help legal departments see where their money is going and ensure they’re getting good value for their legal spending.

4. Greater Emphasis on Data Security

Data security has always been a significant concern in the legal industry. Many legal departments face more frequent cyber threats, which is why investing in security technology has become standard practice. The goal is straightforward: safeguard all data.

To achieve this, in-house legal departments undergo information governance training to equip every team member with information on how to protect data. This collective effort secures the safety of client and internal data.

5. Remote Work Continues

Remote work has become the norm for many legal departments, meaning that geography isn’t the obstacle it used to be. Now, collaborative tools are key.

They keep teams connected and make it possible for legal operations professionals to work together from anywhere.

To sustain this model, it’s important to nurture supportive environments and avoid barriers to remote work, such as security concerns, communication issues, and isolation. Such environments cater to the well-being and productivity of all team members.

6. Increased Focus on Regulatory Compliance

Compliance has always been a non-negotiable for in-house lawyers. The industry’s laws and regulations constantly evolve, so staying current is a must.

Regulatory compliance tools now offer invaluable assistance. They keep track of these changes and shed light on new legal requirements.

Today’s modern legal department navigates the legal terrain through proactive strategies and using tech tools as one of them. Such measures make sure that they stay on top of regulatory shifts as the demands for strict compliance increase.

7. Project Management Tools Gain Popularity

Project management software has become an indispensable tool in legal operations these days, thanks to a bunch of useful tools that help manage legal projects.

These tools make it a lot easier to plan and keep track of everything and make sure teams can stick to their schedules without a hitch. Effective project management means resources are used wisely, which helps teams hit their targets right on time.

8. Collaboration Between Legal and Other Departments

Corporate legal departments in contemporary organizations do not operate in silos; cooperation with other departments is more important than ever. Better results come from effective teamwork, which can also help preempt potential issues.

The increasing need for inter-departmental collaboration makes specific tools necessary. They make information sharing easier and create a more collaborative business process among the legal team.

As such, involvement from all departments in alleviating business bottlenecks is critical. It’s evident that collaboration will continue to dictate key trends in legal operations.

9. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration

AI is an influential force that transforms routine legal tasks. It boosts both speed and accuracy while significantly cutting down manual labor in legal operations teams.

Integration of AI into legal tech solutions is on the rise. Tasks like document sorting, which once were tedious, are now effortlessly automated. Plus, AI holds the power to predict outcomes rooted in historical data, which paves the way for decisions based on informed insights.

In fact, AI in the legal tech market is projected to grow by 35% annually over the next five years.

Stay Ahead of the Competition With Artificial Intelligence

Innovation drives the legal field today, and if you don’t want to play catch-up with other law firms, it’s time to embrace one of the best legal tools of all: artificial intelligence.

Stop letting the discovery phase consume more work hours than it has to, and start using Briefpoint.ai. With generative artificial intelligence, Briefpoint lets you create discovery response and request documents in mere minutes.

Save money, maintain consistency, and let your lawyers work on more important tasks all at the same time.

Let Briefpoint Transform Your Discovery Process

Under these assumptions, you save $20,477 using Briefpoint, per year, per attorney.

Test Briefpoint yourself by scheduling a demo here.

FAQs About Legal Operations Trends

How do legal tech tools help legal departments?

Legal tech tools simplify legal functions for law firms and corporate law departments. They take care of the routine jobs, which allows the team to zero in on key tasks. The ultimate goal? To get better results faster.

What’s the point of alternative fee arrangements?

Alternative fee arrangements, not just hours logged, focus on the value of legal work offered. This approach brings expenses under predictable control and makes financial management easier. Essentially, it shifts the spotlight onto the benefits provided by legal professionals.

How can legal professionals benefit from remote work?

Remote work introduces flexibility and a better balance between personal life and work. With the right tech for security and collaboration, it’s a game-changer. Plus, it’s a magnet for keeping talent in the team.