Benefits and Advantages of Operating a Virtual Law Office

In our previous article, we talked about a Virtual Law Office - an On-line Practice & Case Management Software Application with an integrated Client Portal. A Virtual Law Office is designed for various purposes, and primarily to provide an attorney/paralegal access to the Back Office software used to run their daily business operations, maintain control over the Client Portal, and allow a firm’s clients to use certain parts of the application via the secure Client Portal. Other important uses of a Virtual Law Office are to enable both attorneys/paralegals and their clients to effectively collaborate, discuss matters within a secure, on-line, end-to-end encrypted environment, download/upload/share documents and information, and handle other business transactions related to the delivery of the legal services.

The benefits of operating a Virtual Law Office, an On-line Practice & Case Management Software Application, are both its convenience and affordability. It also helps with creating a better balance between practice, work, and personal life.

Another important aspect that positively affects both attorneys/paralegals and their clients is that there is little to no need to travel to the office and meet in person to discuss “non-emergency” matters. Maintaining a “paperless” approach to handling business transactions also has low to zero effect on the environment.

A Virtual Law Office enables attorneys/paralegals to expand their client base beyond their local area which gives them a competitive edge and an ability to tap into a broader market of potential clients that are looking for legal services. It complements the existing practice and helps streamline daily operations – all incoming and outgoing communications, as well as court fillings, discovery and other documents that are related to a specific client, are always accessible by that client whenever he/she needs to access it. Clients can securely communicate with attorneys/paralegals via a Client Portal with no fear that those messages might be compromised or viewed by someone else. A Virtual Law Office lets attorneys/paralegals, if there is no emergency, communicate daily between each other securely and stress-free without a single phone call. A Virtual Law Office allows attorneys/paralegals to use cost-effective methods of communicating with their clients, sharing documents, reviewing them on-line, approving them, handling invoices and payments for legal services via the Internet, keeping clients informed about the case status, hearings, deadlines, case associated tasks, etc., which give clients an ability to check on their cases at any time.

Using a Virtual Law Office could be very beneficial to a specific category of attorneys, such as contract attorneys or immigration attorneys. Also, attorneys that offer limited legal services by assisting their clients with specific limited legal work, such as drafting a legal document, can use an On-line Practice & Case Management Software Application with an integrated Client Portal.

One of the biggest advantages of a Virtual Law Office is that it can be used for collaboration with other attorneys statewide, nationwide, and even internationally to deliver legal services to clients on-line within multiple jurisdictions - provided, of course, that the necessary care and attention to comply with the rules of professional responsibility along with security demands and requirements are fully met.

By using a Virtual Law Office attorneys/paralegals can provide services to individuals in remote areas that have no access to traditional law offices, and those who simply don’t have access to the services because it is too expensive for them. Attorneys/paralegals, who use a Virtual Law Office, an On-line Practice & Case Management Software Application with an integrated Client Portal, meet clients’ needs faster and at a fraction of the cost.

For more information on the features and functions of the On-line Practice & Case Management Software Application visit our site @ www.attorneysbackoffice.com

Features and Functions of the On-line Practice & Case Management Software Application

In our previous article about the On-line Practice & Case Management Applications, we pointed out that in most cases, the software from different providers can vary in features, types of client bases that use it, and the area of the law that a firm specializes in. We also mentioned that, depending on the firm size and law areas, some of the features might not be suitable for larger firms, while some of the features might very well fit and serve effectively for a solo or small firm. When making your selection, always keep in mind that you need an application that will help to enhance your practice effectively and allow you to communicate with your client base seamlessly.

These are some of the features and functions that the On-line Practice & Case Management Software Application must include:

Client Account and Contacts Management

Client Account records usually contain client information details including their contact, address, phone, and other relevant info. The records might also store and track logs and details of phone calls, e-mails, and other forms of correspondence with your clients. A Client Account record usually serves as a base record that links all related to it records from other modules in order make it easy to automate the process and track all the other activities related to a specific client account.

Matter/Case Management

This is a module that keeps records of your matters/cases. It must be linked to a specific Client Account and is usually supplemented by Tasks, Deadlines, Opposition Info, Calendaring, To-Dos, Conflicts of Interest, and other essential modules

Time & Billing Modules

These features allow to record, track and invoice billable time. Billing can be done on an hourly, contingent, transactional, or flat-fee basis; per individually user-defined fees, or firm-wide. It might also be linked to a variety of time, billing, and accounting programs, or the application’s internal accounting modules. It should be able to create billing reports for each individual attorney or paralegal working in the firm.

Accounting

The various Accounting modules make it easy to manage a firm's accounts and clients' trust accounts. Whenever money is received or paid, a transaction record to register the event is created. Whether a transaction is created based on the Time & Billing record or a stand-alone invoice, your accounting should always be accurate and up to date.

Document Management and Assembly

These modules allow for managing, drafting, and merging of the documents. Usually they are linked to some sort of word processing program that can allow you to easily create or edit documents. These modules should also allow for documents to be assigned to a firm’s personnel to work on and chosen documents to be shared with clients via the Client Portal.

Calendaring & Docketing

These features are designed to allow a firm’s staff to view tasks, deadlines, appointments, and meetings by day, week, month, or year. Some of the applications can calculate calendar dates for filings, docketing, and handle reminders and deadlines. They should also manage schedules for appointments and meetings, and send reminders about those meeting.

Performance Analysis & Reporting

The reporting tools help improve a company’s activity, drive your business ahead, as well as increase efficiency and revenue. With these tools you’d be able to identify your most profitable matters and your firm's employees with most hours billed. You must have an ability to create and run a wide variety of reports at any time and download them into Excel or PDF files.

Client Portal

With the on-line, secure web-based Client Portal, you can share documents, tasks, deadlines and other information with your firm's clients. The private and secure portal access allows a firm’s clients to view all the important details pertaining to their matters. They should also be able to submit questions via the Client Inquiries module.

SSL Encryption

Ensure that all transmissions within the application are protected from the prying eye of hackers and anybody who wants to get their hands on any sensitive information. The application provider must make sure that that all the transactions are performed in a secured environment using the SSL encryption

Multi-user Access

Web-based Practice & Case Management Applications are up and running 24/7. They are accessible via virtually any PC, device, or platform. An unlimited number of authorized users can access data securely from any computer as long as they have Internet access, whether it is from their office, courthouse, home, or even while on vacation, if they chose to do so.

For more information on the features and functions of the On-line Practice & Case Management Software Application visit our site @ www.attorneysbackoffice.com