Attorneys feeling the economic crunch should read this motivational blog post from national coach, consultant and author of Build a Solo Practice, LLC, Susan Cartier Liebel, “Is Now The Perfect Time to Start Your Solo Practice?”

Opening a virtual law office (VLO) is an excellent way to turn the economic situation to your advantage, either by opening a completely web-based law practice or by adding a VLO to your existing law office. As Cartier Liebel explains in her post, innovative attorneys should find the opportunities hidden inside the economic downturn. Circumstances are causing an upheaval in our clients’ lives, in what they believe, who they trust and how much they are willing to pay for legal services.

Clients are looking for affordable and convenient legal assistance. As large and even mid-size firms are scaling back to stay afloat, small firms and solo practitioners have the unique opportunity to step up and provide clients with more affordable and efficient legal services. As the legal profession continues to grow more competitive and the economy more uncertain, the most effective law practices will be those that can expand beyond the traditional brick and mortar law offices and those that can more efficiently manage their clients through technology.

Low Overhead - A Cost-Effective Solution

Virtual law practices are cost-effective methods of providing legal services to the public. A VLO may greatly reduce the amount of waste that a law practice generates by being a paperless office, and the cost to operate a VLO remains minimal and reduces overall office overhead. Attorneys operating a VLO are able to acquire clients online and conduct business through the website without the use of paper and other office supplies and resources. Attorney and client data may be stored online during the course of the transaction and then transferred as a digital file to the attorney’s internal digital filing and backup system. Any documents that are not stored online in digital format through the client interface of the VLO may be scanned to PDF by the attorney and stored in digital format on the VLO libraries. The use of electronic invoicing and online payments for legal services to the VLO may be handled online without the use of paper invoices.

Efficient Services – Streamline Your Practice With Web-Based Technology

Attorneys operating web-based virtual law practices are able to more efficiently provide services to clients by streamlining their practices. The technology creates online case management, law and file libraries for the attorney that allow him or her to quickly respond to online clients without having to duplicate work or reinvent the wheel.

Pass on the Savings to Your Clients – Create Client Loyalty

With the reduced law practice overhead and greater efficiency in providing services, attorneys can pass the savings on to the clients. In turn, clients will be pleased with the convenience of acquiring legal services online at a price that is affordable.