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Continuing Education
No matter what your career, one of the best things you can do (in my opinion anyway!) is to constantly be adding to your knowledge. You can take a class, you can read books and articles on a particular subject or you can get involved with a group or project that will expand your horizons. Continuing education does not have to mean spending money, although money spent on the right schooling isn’t going to be a waste.
When I first decided to embark on the path of running a virtual legal assistant business I knew there were some areas I needed to improve in. I self-taught myself a lot about blogging, learning how to manipulate my css a bit, learning how to work with html, even if only slightly, because learning things helped me save money in the long run and also added to my ability to serve my clients. I also had to learn, and continue to learn, about what it means to run a business – to track expenses and budget for marketing, to analyze cost and effectiveness when purchasing items for my office, and so much more. I feel like in the last two years I have been learning non-stop – and I love it!
Recently I decided that I was going to more formally continue my education. While I have an honours paralegal diploma, I never attended University and getting a degree is something I know will have immense value for me, even if only psychologically. It also adds value to my family, as getting a degree will hopefully help my children see that I value education for myself as well as for them-when the time comes in 10 or 12 years!
So as of this week, in addition to running my business and caring for my children and occasionally cooking dinner, I will be working on a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) through Athabasca University. Wish me luck!
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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Article in the Carolina Paralegal News
A while back I was interviewed for this piece (Virtual Paralegals – Page 3) and it was quite exciting to see some quotes attributed to me in the article!
I also enjoyed reading the comments from some of my contemporaries like Cathy Ribble and Tina Marie Hilton. I haven’t been as heavily into the social networking scene lately (too busy!) and the article was a nice reminder of the amazing community that is evolving for virtual legal assistants and virtual paralegals. I need to spend more time in it!
Maybe later though….work is calling my name again. Later all!
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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Transcription Options
One of my favorite tasks to perform for clients is transcription. I can type out letters or court documents, or even perform tasks just based on instructions from the transcription, for example, a transcription might attach a number of documents that I’m asked to describe individually.
For lawyers or other business owners who are considering taking advantage of the benefits of transcription, there are a number of options available. Most valuable, in my opinion, is a digital dictation device. An individual can buy a digital recorder (available at pretty much any office or computer store), or use an application.
When purchasing a digital recorder, consider the following:
- ease of upload of digital audio files
- battery capacity
- ability to organize files on the recorder
- available recording time
When considering an application, such as Express Dictate, realize the differences inherent in using software versus a more traditional recorder. A bonus is that you won’t have to figure out uploading the files from your recorder onto your computer, but a negative is that you can lose portability.
Of course digital is not the only option. While in an article I recently read, Nicole Black noted that many lawyers “despise” the older methods of transcription, I actually have clients who prefer tape transcription and simply aren’t ready to embrace digital technology! I have a minicassette transcriber just for that reason and if needed may purchase a microcassette transcriber also. For me, it’s not just about my preference, but making sure the client is able to work in a familiar and comfortable way.
I know that another option offered by some virtual legal assistants is telephone dictation. This method is very easy to use for the client, as they simply call in to a toll free number and record their instructions.
Regardless of the transcription method chosen, dictation is still a very useful tool for a lawyer to have in their arsenal. It is quick and allows for easy delegation of a variety of tasks.
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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Keeping Office Overhead Low
Like many small business owners, I spent some time recently putting my tax information in order for my accountant. It’s all sent off now (thank goodness!) and I’m vowing to update my information quarterly this coming year (and first quarter ends next week) so that I’m not trying to organize a year’s worth of information come February 2011.
In organizing my financial information, I noticed some really important things. We all know it’s good to keep your overhead as low as is practicable. I was glad to see that while I had a number of expenses, my ongoing monthly expenses are quite minimal. I started my virtual legal assistant business with a goal of being quite frugal. My main recurring expenses include things like my internet, my phone, my webhosting and domain renewals, and my project management application. Altogether these expenses come under $200 per month, which allows me a great deal of flexibility in how I operate. I am free to only take on appropriate clients and I don’t force them to commit to retainer plans. I want them to be able to keep their absolute expenses low too!
Low overhead is precisely one of the main benefits to using offsite contract staff, whether you are talking about a virtual legal assistant or paralegal, an accountant or any similar service provider. For example, when my clients work with me, they are able to engage my services to any extent necessary, whether that is for one small project in a month or for some dictation almost every single day. When they go on vacation and don’t need any assistance, they don’t pay for it. If they go on vacation and want someone to check their email, they can have that too! It is completely flexible and up to the client to utilize the services to match their needs.
Of course every small business owner, from lawyer to virtual assistant, will have different needs for their overhead. They may absolutely need to operate out of an actual office space or they may be able to work from Starbucks. They may need full-time or part-time help in some capacity or they be able to work with just occasional support from other service providers. The key is to know what things are truly necessary and work within the most appropriate but cost-effective structure that you can, if you want to maintain maximum control and flexibility over your work environment, instead of feeling like a slave to your own business.
Read MoreVoicemail Vs Live Person
Recently I’ve had some discussions with one client, who so appreciates my services he thinks I should start planning to “scale up”. It’s a move I’ve considered, but don’t think I’m ready for just yet.
One concern I have, for example, is that this particularly client mentioned that he’d prefer someone was always available to answer the phone for my company, especially if he were to refer certain types of business to me. I currently only answer the phone very occasionally, as my workspace is not always conducive to professional business calls (got to love those noisy children!) I always respond promptly to phone messages and other than initial consultations my clients generally correspond with me via email anyway.
But I do worry that my phone setup is holding me back, not only from eventually scaling up, but from simply achieving my current goal of a busy one-person virtual legal assistant practice.
Do YOU prefer to speak to a live person the first time you call a business? Do you avoid leaving messages and just move on to the next person if you can’t reach someone? Would reaching a live answering service be enough? Alyssa Gregory had a post not too long ago about exactly this, and she recommended answering your phone as often as possible, with some very valid points noted.
I’ve taken a quick look at a couple of live answering services, and they aren’t too expensive, but in all honesty right now I get maybe 1-2 calls in a month from prospective clients. Most of my contact does come by email, even from possible clients.
I’d love to hear from other solo business owners how they handle the telephone issue. Are you able to answer your phone most of the time? Do you think voicemail is enough of an option when you aren’t free? Can’t wait to see what you think!
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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