I love when I read an inspiring blog post like this great one over at Law 21 today. Like Jordan, I’m Canadian so I didn’t vote yesterday (but I did vote in the recent Canadian election!!) I did watch CNN a lot last night though and I really enjoyed Obama’s speech. That man is a powerful and inspiring speaker!

I think I value inspiration so much because sometimes this “change” thing is hard, really hard.  I know for me changing my mindset from employee to business owner has been hard. And trying to establish my virtual legal assistant business in an industry that is not exactly known for being innovative has been daunting, to say the least! But I do believe in myself, and I think Jordan’s right when he talks about how things that seemed impossible 20 years ago will be simply standard 20 years from now. I’m 33 right now and I can’t wait to see what the world will be like 20 years from now, when my children are grown and starting their post-secondary educations and careers. Will they think virtual businesses are just business as usual? Will they telecommute or co-work? How often will they stop by the local coffee shop for coffee and wi-fi?!

The future is uncertain, but bright I think!

Do you run a solo practice, but have more work than you can handle? Or do you have a full time in-house legal assistant that can’t keep up with your busy workload? Or even a practice that is just getting going and you need help ramping up so that you do have too much business?  A virtual legal assistant may be just the solution in any of these situations! That’s the beauty of virtual assistance, it is a flexible solution that can fit so many needs.

So for example maybe you are a lawyer who doesn’t think you need a full-time assistant.  Do you do all your own typing? Research? Email? How much time does it cost you every day? In a previous post I addressed this lost time cost and demonstrated the cost effectiveness of hiring a virtual assistant to increase your productivity.

Do you have a full-time legal assistant or paralegal already? Think you don’t need any more help? You know in my years as an in-house legal assistant the most effective practice I worked in was one with one lawyer and three assistants.  So much work got done!! That particular lawyer utilized dictation to his advantage because he realized he spoke far faster than he typed.  Isn’t that true of most of us? And with the digital dictation options available it is very easy to send your virtual legal assistant instructions via dictation or to have them transcribe lengthy memoranda, court documents or agreements.

And if you are just getting started you can partner with a VA who offers some marketing suggestions and works with you to grow your network. I bet she’ll suggest you try Twitter!! Or you can get a good working relationship established and have your VA work just a few hours a month to start and eventually add hours as your practice grows.

There are plenty of other ways to utilize a virtual legal assistant. You may partner with a VLA only for large files or projects, specific research assignments or even vacation or sick leave coverage of your in-house staff. I hope you’ll think about taking advantage of the wonderful resources offered by virtual assistants – and if you are thinking of hiring one, don’t forget to check out my main site!

Are blogs really last year, last decade, pointless? That was the message I got when I read a recent article in Wired magazine entitled Kill Your Blog. Paul Boutin seems to have been reaching a bit too far in the article though, at least in my opinion.  And I’m a huge Twitter fan, which is one of the platforms Boutin advocated as a replacement for blogging.

I had picked up Wired last week while on a grocery run and the article really surprised me.  But Halloween and sick kids made life a little hectic these past few days and I didn’t have a chance to blog until now, when I was reminded by a post on the subject over at Real Lawyers Have Blogs. I totally agree with Kevin, as useful of a networking tool as Twitter is or sites like Facebook, they do not offer one the chance to truly establish oneself as an expert in a particular niche.

For example, I am working on setting up a Facebook page for my business and I think it is an interesting tool, and a place to connect with either other virtual assistants or potential clients. I think it works best though in conjunction with my blog, not as a substitute for it!

I think blogs offer a great hub for a business.  They are a place to communicate, provide important news and information about your business, and to provide proof that you are still operating not some business that doesn’t even exist anymore.  I also think they are a place to establish your expertise in your niche, which as Kevin had pointed out in his blog, is a significant benefit for a lawyer who chooses to blog. So I do not agree that you should “Kill Your Blog”, there is a lot of life left in it!!