A lot of research led me to believe that my best choice would be a backup and syncing setup, as I have two computers and wanted access to files on both computers from anywhere, plus I wanted to protect my data in case of computer failure or natural disaster.

Now, I’m sure if I do experience a computer failure or my house is struck by natural disaster I’m going to appreciate my system, but even if such things should never happen (fingers crossed!) I’ve gotten a great deal of use out of my system. I’ve traveled with only one computer and needed to access files on my other computer so that I could quickly assist one of my lawyers and easily been able to do so.  I’ve been out running errands and quickly looked up a file from my mobile phone’s web browser, as my chosen application offers mobile access. It’s really reassuring to have this setup, especially when it comes to my business data.

And now I’ve actually realized another way such a system can be utilized. I have clients who are not particularly comfortable with LogMeIn or similar setups. There are benefits to such systems obviously, but especially to clients new to virtual partnerships, they may be hard to accept at first. I can tell my clients about my setup though and they can choose to share documents via a similar application (at least I know with my provider this is possible!) I had a situation recently where I needed a document from a client and if said client had been able to access his files from his phone’s browser he could have quickly emailed them  to me. Instead, we had to wait to finish a project until he was in his office to access the files.

So, can you access your documents from anywhere so easily? If so, what service do you use? I use SugarSync and totally recommend them, for what it’s worth (not a paid endorsement by the way, just true love of the product!) They offer fair pricing, SSL encryption which is very important especially when dealing with legal file materials, and work with both PCs and Macs. Similar SaaS backup/sync programs are compared here if you are interested!

Whether you aspire to be a virtual assistant or you or thinking about working with a virtual assistant, I thought I’d share some quick tips I’ve learned and would have benefited from implementing sooner:

1. Be clear from the beginning on your preferred method and hours of contact (applies to both client and VA).
2. Discuss the “finicky” things right off the bat: font type, font size, paragraph justification, etc. – they might seem like small things but getting them right early can ease your working relationship.
3. If you have a concern over anything, do not wait to mention it to the other party. Sooner said, sooner fixed; don’t hope it will just magically resolve itself!
4. Be very, very clear about deadlines.
5. Read every email or communique from your client CAREFULLY. Check for attachments immediately, even if you don’t need to do the work right away.
6. Spend a few minutes each week, for each client, thinking of ways you can improve the service you provide or find new items you can assist with.

I can tell you, from experience, that it is hard to make mistakes and feel for even a moment that you may have let your client down or let yourself down. But we are all human and we are bound to have moments of imperfection. Be honest with your client if you feel you should have done something better. Offer a discount or some other small token if necessary. Thank your clients for being understanding and remember when they have issues crop up that they are just like you and don’t take criticism personally. Just do better the next time!

I’ve heard of some pretty wonderful sounding law offices ever since I started my virtual legal assistant business and had my eyes opened to alternative ways of doing things within the legal profession, but I think this is definitely near the top of the list in my opinion. It’s a small change, and yet it is HUGE for people who want that elusive “all” that we hope is out there somewhere. I think I especially liked that the initiative applies to lawyers and staff, as long as they don’t abuse the process!

I would have been shocked had any of the traditional firms I worked in ever offered a person to bring in their infant on a regular basis. Admittedly, since I’m from Canada many people were able to take a fair bit of time off after having a child without losing their job. Still, I actually think some people would have happily returned to work more quickly given the option to bring baby along. Our maternity is usually only partially paid and some people would love to keep a full paycheque without having to put a young child into full-time childcare. Actually, most of my places of employment frowned strongly on bringing children almost anytime, despite official initiatives like “bring your child to work day” or the like.

Fortunately for me, being self-employed allows me that elusive “all” that I had hoped for once I had my children. I can get my boys off the bus and then get right back to business while they enjoy an afterschool snack. I can fit document drafting around naptimes and usually still have time for a quick park break in the late afternoons. The occasional (okay, more than occasional!) late nights are well worth feeling like I usually have time for my clients and my children.

I am pointing the review out on my blog, though I have no obligation to do so, because I truly believe Chrometa is a tool that can help lawyers and virtual legal assistants who charge clients on an hourly basis. It’s a handy addition to my arsenal and I think you would find it to be the same!

I’ve personally looked at a variety of options for a mastermind group, ideally with other virtual legal assistants. There are some paid options, but my personal preference is for a small group with no fee, where everyone in the group would be treated as equals, although some members are likely to be more experienced than others.  I think a better group dynamic will be achieved without paying a fee. But I could be wrong and some people may not take it seriously without paying. Any thoughts from my wonderful readers on this topic?

I am definitely going to include this in my development plan – to help grow Halo Secretarial into my vision of what a virtual legal assistant business can be, a mastermind group surely can only help! Now, to figure out exactly how to get started…

Now, obviously I’m only talking about my experience but I can say that I think the first two firms were far better run than the last. In the first the lawyer kept very busy with clients. His staff could do everything else. In the second, a ratio of two to one actually kept the assistants both busy and happy, as they had more variety in their daily work routine. But when there are three or four lawyers to one support person? Things get missed, balls get dropped, lawyers do a lot of their own admin work. It was inefficient and created some serious morale issues for staff and lawyers alike.

Consider this when wondering whether a virtual legal assistant is right for your practice. If you get extra help will it make you more efficient? If you already have staff, could providing supplementary assistance make them more efficient? Correspondingly though, if you already have good processes in place and excellent administrative staff, don’t consider switching to a VLA to reduce costs. Depending on the size and style of your practice a virtual assistant may in fact not be necessary, or only needed on an occasional basis.

I read a post with some good points and law practices and efficiency over at The Virtual Lawyer.  Roger notes that to truly be efficient lawyers must leverage their time appropriately, whether by utilizing other people’s time, using appropriate technology or finding ways to package your services. Kathleen Brady shares some great suggestions about improving the productivity/efficiency of your law practice in her Law Practice Today article called Achieving Life/Work Balance Through Effective Time Management and in her post Read These 10 Secrets To (Fill in the Blank) Susan Cartier Liebel points out that good processes and choices will lead to a productive law practice, but also notes one of the most important points when it comes to growing your business: It Takes Time.

So if you want to improve the efficiency of how your practice is running, look at what you have in place, evaluate what tasks and work you need help with and then see if a virtual legal assistant might just be the perfect solution!

The webinar will be this Thursday at noon (EDT), which is 10 am if you are on mountain time like me!! It’s a free webinar, so if you have the time you should definitely join us. And if you don’t have the time but want to know more about partnering with a VLA, feel free to check out my series all about choosing and working with a virtual legal assistant, I have lots of great tips for you!

Some great examples:

• Bookkeeping/billing
• Web site design
• Client intake
• Document drafting
• PR
• Call answering
• Court filings

I already do outsource some of my web design needs; I had neither the ability nor the desire to spend hours and hours trying to design a pretty logo for example! I also use an accountant to help me with my taxes and am working on training someone to assist me with transcription eventually. What tasks are you outsourcing and which ones do you think you *should* be outsourcing, but currently you are muddling along with?

Another point of the discussion on outsourcing addressed where to find good people to outsource to. You don’t want to waste time on in effective outsourcing after all! I realized I had never really considered it but even some tools are a way of outsourcing, like using Ruby Receptionist for call answering. And the best way to find help is of course to go to your network and ask for reliable references! Just yesterday I went to my Twitter peeps and asked for suggestions for one of my client’s needs and quickly hooked her up.

Speaking of Twitter, I have noticed in checking out my Blawger Survivor companions and many of them have Twitter feeds in their sidebars – love it! Check the feeds out at  Two Lawyers in a Pod[Cast], The Connecticut Employment Law Blog,  Leadership, Women, Lawyers, No Reins Girl.   Twitter is my biggest online network and I love how involved so many lawyers seem to be getting in it. Okay, and I love that clients have found me on Twitter too!!

I bought some cool wall rub-ons that are inspirational and this is the one in my office (I love that it is huge-makes you really notice it!):

Perfect for a day when the kids are running a little crazy and you haven’t been outside in days even though it’s sunny and you stayed up late one too many times this week! Not that I’m saying my week was like that or anything

Hope my little inspiration makes you smile or motivates you to do something similar!

I am good at what I do. In fact, I think I’m really, really good at what I do. Most days. I’m a human being so I can’t offer perfection all the time. I can offer customer satisfaction. I can fix things that aren’t done perfectly (at no additional cost) to make sure my clients are never left feeling unsatisfied. And I tend to get much better at working with a client once we’ve had an opportunity to develop our relationship and I learn their style and understand their needs better.

But there are things I’m not good at. Sometimes, I don’t have a particular skill a client might be interested in, and I may or may not be able to learn it to help with the task. I’m always upfront about such deficiencies and I think my clients appreciate that. I’m also not good at reading minds! Who out there is? (I could use you on my team if you are, lol) I need clear communication, especially at first, or I might not provide exactly what someone is looking for.

I’m also not very good at working without sleep or food. Mmmm, food. I love food! Oops, off topic! That means that I am not always available, I can’t take every call or answer every email immediately. I promise to get back to you asap though, so if you are looking for a human virtual legal assistant, who will not be perfect but who WILL be committed to providing customer satisfaction and who will be invested in your law practice’s success, then I am the right VLA for you!

p.s. the potential client did decide to work with me and I think we’re on a good path so far!