Posts made in July, 2008

Lawyers and Staff Laid-Off – Go Virtual!

Posted by Laurie on Jul 31, 2008 in Legal Practice, virtual assistance | 1 comment

Carolyn Elefant over at My Shingle suggests in a post today that lawyers who are being laid off due to economic downturns consider going solo. I completely agree and I also recommend that support staff in the same boat consider a virtual career. It’s a difficult time to go through, but it can also be a wonderful opportunity to re-invent your career and your life.

Have you always wanted to live near the beach? Or maybe you want to move to a small town in a different state? You can live anywhere and have a virtual career. Or you can live "nowhere" and travel while you work!! You can be a virtual lawyer, a virtual assistant, a virtual paralegal or you can go off on another career path altogether and maybe be a business consultant, a marketing strategist or a teacher. You can do many of things virtually, or at least somewhat virtually. You’ll save money on your commute too!

It can be really hard to see something so upsetting as a lay-off as a good thing. And I can’t pretend to have been in the shoes of a legal secretary or lawyer who has been laid-off. But I think we all have had wrenches thrown into the works of our career plans and I know that we can’t change what is, we can only choose to move forward and hopefully make things better. Good luck to you all!

Dreams Can Change the World

Posted by Laurie on Jul 29, 2008 in blogging, Inspiration | Comments Off

I just read a blog post from Canadian Entrepreneur which reminded me that yesterday was Terry Fox’s birthday. I don’t know how familiar anyone is with Terry Fox (unless you are Canadian like me in which case I’m guessing you are more than familiar with the name!) I just have to share this motivational quote that was on Canadian Entrepreneur’s post:

“I’m not a dreamer, and I’m not saying this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to.”

Terry Fox, 1958-1981
Canadian dreamer. Canadian hero.

We all need to believe in our dreams, and in miracles. Thanks for the inspiration Terry!

Come on, Comment…there’s a prize involved!

Posted by Laurie on Jul 29, 2008 in blogging, virtual legal assistance | 3 comments

I just read this post over at 5 Minutes for Mom about why we should comment on each other’s blogs. I totally think commenting helps create a great sense of community and I personally love the interaction of commenting on other blogs.

So partly in the spirit of fun and partly to help attract a few readers, I’m offering a $20 Starbucks card to one lucky commenter on my blog this week! Rules are that you must either tell me what you like about my virtual legal assistance blog or make a suggestion to improve it and you must comment by midnight, mountain time (Alberta, Canada) on Sunday, August 3, 2008. Good luck!

Profiling Paralegal Work

Posted by Laurie on Jul 27, 2008 in paralegal, virtual legal assistance | 2 comments

I finished my diploma program in paralegal studies about 11 years ago (in Edmonton, Alberta). I remember when I was researching the paralegal career and wondering what it would *really* be like to work as a paralegal. I would’ve enjoyed this post at LawVibe.com about how paralegals are multi-taskers back then, it’s a pretty accurate job description!

Fortunately the research I did was pretty helpful and I felt like I knew what I was getting into and that I was making a good career choice for myself. It never ceases to surprise me how many new paralegal graduates are not prepared for the real work they will perform in a law firm though. Many expect to come out of school and do intensive research and work hand-in-hand with the lawyers. It’s a rude awakening then when they are expected to do clerical work and learn the ropes from the ground up. I think that mastering the basics is essential though. I believe I am much better at my job because I know how to do so many things – my first lawyer was a wonderful trainer, he gave me tasks that were progressively more difficult and eventually trusted me completely. But he knew from experience that people need to learn all facets of the job.

If you want to be a paralegal, remember that everything you do on the job is worthwhile and necessary, whether the work is clerical in nature or not. Everything I learned on the job certainly helped me – especially now that I operate my own virtual legal assistance business!

25 Things A Virtual Legal Assistant Can Do For Your Practice

Posted by Laurie on Jul 24, 2008 in Legal Practice, virtual legal assistance | Comments Off

Not sure what a virtual legal assistant can do for your law practice? Wonder if you’ll really free some of your time up? Check out this list of things a virtual legal assistant can help you with!

1. Draft initial retainer letter to a new client
2. Proofread and format an agreement
3. Draft a motion and supporting affidavit
4. Research caselaw and provide summarizing memorandum
5. Scan client documents into database
6. Prepare exhibits and documents for trial presentation
7. Monitor deadlines and manage caseload
8. Update and manage your calendar
9. Arrange for an expert witness
10. Review transcripts and highlight critical text, summarize undertakings
11. Type handwritten notes from a meeting or seminar
12. Proofread and publish blog posts
13. Convert files into PDF format
14. Balance a monthly bank statement
15. Delete spam accumulated in your email account overnight
16. Sort/answer and/or redirect email messages
17. Transcribe voice messages
18. Make calls to confirm your appointments
19. Create a database
20. Build an email distribution list
21. Create a PowerPoint presentation
22. Setup the process for a monthly newsletter
23. Build a custom spreadsheet
24. Follow up research on a client, prospect, applicant, or competitor
25. Book hotel, rental car, and/or travel reservations

Your virtual legal assistant can do a lot more than this – but hopefully this list opens your mind to all the possibilities!!