What Does a Virtual Legal Assistant Do for Your Firm?
Running a law firm involves a lot more than just practicing law. It requires managing diverse business areas that demand their own share of time and focus.
Tasks that range from routine admin responsibilities to specialized ones like bookkeeping and legal research can keep you from working on what truly matters—serving your clients and growing your practice. The solution? Outsourcing non-core tasks to a legal virtual assistant (legal VA).
So what does a virtual legal assistant do, and can they really help your firm? Let’s find the answers to these top questions and more!
What does a virtual legal assistant do?
There are different types of virtual legal assistant services to choose from. It all depends on the type of support your firm needs. To give you an idea, below are some of the key responsibilities virtual legal assistants can handle:
Administrative
Administrative tasks may seem routine and basic, but they’re crucial to the smooth daily operations of your legal practice. These tasks tend to be time-consuming, keeping you from working on core responsibilities.
Fortunately, an administrative legal virtual assistant can take routine tasks off your plate. They’ll help your firm become more organized and efficient.
- Managing schedules and calendars
- Answering calls and emails
- Organizing files
- Data entry and database management
An administrative VA can make a great impact to any organization in any industry. Want to learn how to improve your operations and free up your calendar for high-level responsibilities? Schedule a free consultation call with us for more information.
Legal research and document preparation
Plenty of pieces need to come together for you to deliver outstanding legal support. Well-prepared documents and accurate research enable your firm to provide the high quality of service your clients expect.
Virtual legal assistants with relevant training and experience in law can enable your firm to become more productive. By taking on the legwork or the initial part of case preparation such as data gathering and creating first drafts of legal documents. They free up your schedule for more strategic and high-level decision-making.
Conducting legal research
- Prepare contracts
- Drafting legal documents and correspondence
- Reviewing contracts and case files
- Organizing case-related materials
Client communication
For most clients, legal proceedings can be quite stressful. They will tend to have a lot of questions about the different parts of the process. Reassuring them and giving clarity is a must, but it can keep you from focusing on areas where you can have the most impact.
A customer-centric legal VA can be your team’s liaison, ensuring clients feel heard. They can offer the customer support that clients need during every step. With a virtual legal assistant handling client communications, you can maintain strong relationships without overwhelming your internal team of legal professionals.
- Responding to client inquiries
- Scheduling consultations
- Following up on case progress
- Sending reminders and updates
Back-office support
Tasks like billing and IT support may not be the first things that come to mind when it comes to a well-run legal firm. However, ensuring these non-core tasks are skillfully completed is crucial for you to focus on the core tasks on your plate.
Below are some of the back-office tasks a virtual legal assistant can do for your firm:
- Managing CRM and case management systems
- Supplier management
- Office management
- Tracking billable hours
- Billing and invoicing
- Coordinating with other virtual assistants
- Supporting IT or tech troubleshooting
Creatives
How you present your firm both online and offline matters greatly in a digital-first world. Well-made collaterals like polished presentations and marketing tools help create a professional image for your firm. A creative VA can help you draft visually appealing and professional-looking materials that reflect your brand.
- Graphic design or video editing
- Creating content for newsletters or social media
- Writing and publishing press releases
- Designing client-facing materials (presentations, brochures)
- Managing website updates and blogs
Ready to access legal virtual assistant services? Book a free consultation call with our 20four7VA Sales Executives today.
Benefits of working with a virtual legal assistant
Virtual staffing can be a game-changer for your legal firm. You can access global talent, boost productivity, and give the best service to your clients—all without breaking the bank.
Cost-effectiveness
Remote staffing lets you get more support through outsourcing selected functions to virtual assistants. These VAs provide services from their own side of the world, allowing you to keep overhead expenses under control. With VAs, you won’t have to spend resources on things like new office equipment, full-time employment contracts, and other benefits that new in-office hires require.
Increased productivity and focus
By delegating routine tasks to a virtual legal assistant, you can focus on responsibilities that need your expertise. With a VA, you can finally focus more on high-value activities like client consultations and court appearances.
VAs can save you from time-consuming administrative duties by taking on routine yet essential tasks. They can help you regain control of valuable hours and boost productivity.
Additionally, outsourcing parts of the operations can help reduce burnout and promote work-life balance for your team. With more time and a more manageable workload, you can focus on improving the overall quality of your legal services.
Access to skilled talents
The virtual assistant world boasts a diverse pool of remote talents. You can find virtual legal assistants with various backgrounds, from law to office administration, creative support, and more. Whether you need someone with experience in legal research or client support, you can find VAs who can give the exact type of a higher possibility of finding talents with specialized skills or qualifications that may not be readily available in your current firm. Additionally, you don’t have to limit yourself to local hires; you can engage with global talents that can offer the support you need.
Want more information on virtual staffing? Hop on a consultation call with our 20four7VA Sales Executives!
What should you look for in a virtual legal assistant?
It’s crucial to select the right candidate for your firm’s needs. The best virtual legal assistant for your practice must have the right combination of skills and qualities.
Communication skills
“To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well,” said American Founding Father John Marshall. This is especially true for virtual assistants in the legal field. Of course, they must be able to relay their thoughts clearly and professionally. But it’s also crucial to practice active listening, as the skill helps fully grasp instructions and understand legal discussions.
On top of being able to write well-written emails and take accurate meeting notes, look for a VA who knows how to listen to what their clients are trying to say. This way, they can anticipate needs and provide the right support to your firm.
Relevant experience
When hiring a virtual legal assistant, relevant experience can shorten the learning curve. Consider looking for candidates with a background in law or has worked in law firms or legal departments. Their familiarity with legal terminology and practices will help them hit the ground running once they start with their assignment.
A VA who’s knowledgeable in the legal field can work on legal correspondence, organize case files, and conduct legal research. They’ll help lighten your administrative workload and provide reliable support, especially when you’re taking on multiple clients.
Computer proficiency
Virtual assistants, regardless of their niche, must be comfortable in navigating technology. Their computers are their main tools of the trade, so being tech-savvy is non-negotiable.
Look for someone that knows how to use the common productivity tools like Google Workspace and Microsoft Office. They’ll use these programs for important internal and external documents such as creating presentations, drafting contracts, and organizing schedules.
It’s also important to have a virtual legal assistant who knows how to efficiently use communication tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. These tools act as your threads of connection, especially with a remote setup.
Familiarity with project management and collaboration apps such as Trello and ClickUp is a great plus as it allows you to collaborate better. These tools help you and your VA track deadlines and organize tasks.
This proficiency with technology allows your VA to effectively provide day-to-day support even when not physically in your office. Additionally, it would be easier to introduce and train VAs to use software that’s specific to their legal practice, such as CRM and case law research tools.
Detail-oriented
In the legal world, details matter greatly. You need a meticulous legal virtual assistant that is committed to accuracy and knows the importance of double and triple checking their work.
Every single typo, missed deadline, or inaccurate documentation they avoid helps protect your credibility and reduce costly mistakes. They’ll help you steer clear of mistakes that can potentially compromise a case.
Detail-oriented people also know how to spot potential issues before they arise or escalate. They can flag missing information or discrepancies in reports so you can address them in a timely manner. Make sure to work with someone who can add another layer of quality control to your legal practice and enable smoother operations.
Character references and reviews
Before making your final choice, another important step you need to take is to check references and reviews from previous clients. “Getting feedback from previous workplaces or clients can provide valuable insights about a virtual assistant,” shares 20four7VA HR Director Cath Castro. “To ensure you’re engaging with the right VA, you need to go beyond resumes and LinkedIn profiles.”
By checking references, you can have a clearer picture of the candidate you’re considering. Positive reviews and solid references are strong indicators of a virtual assistant’s capabilities and work ethic.
Need help with searching for the best virtual legal assistant for your practice? Book a free consultation call with us, and we’ll support you with our end-to-end remote staffing solutions.
Implementing virtual legal assistant services in your firm
Working with a virtual legal assistant will help your legal firm in various areas. But to maximize this alternative staffing option, here are some practical tips:
Define your needs: List down the specific tasks you need help with. Doing so will help you paint a better picture of the type of virtual assistant you need and the skills you need to have.
Set clear expectations: Setting realistic and measurable expectations is crucial for a positive professional relationship between your core team and virtual assistant. This step should include aligning work hours, performance metrics, and other requirements related to a VA’s quality of work.
Use technology to your advantage: As a modern organization working with remote talents, you cannot help but rely on technology. You must ensure your team has the tools to support secure remote work and effective online collaboration. Such tools include cloud-based storage, communication tools, and project management software.
Encourage a collaborative culture: VAs work remotely, but their work should always feel connected to what your internal team is doing. Encourage open communication through approved platforms and consider conducting team-building activities to help them create a better professional bond.
Scale up with a virtual legal assistant
A virtual legal assistant can complement your team, providing the support you need to run your practice more efficiently and effectively. They can take on administrative tasks and non-core functions to lighten your workload. Their support also allows you to free up valuable time for high-priority responsibilities as a legal professional.
Remote staffing also allows you to get top-tier talents without overshooting costs. It provides access to a global talent pool without the high expenses related to traditional in-house hiring.
In summary, contracting a skilled legal virtual assistant allows you to be the best legal professional you can be. Their specialized skills can lead to improvements across the board—from streamlined operations to enhanced client experience. With the right VA, you gain not just an extra helping hand but a reliable partner who contributes to your practice’s success.
