virtual legal assistance
Home Office Inspiration
It’s been a hectic week here at Halo Secretarial and I know when things get hectic here a little inspiration is in order to help me take some deep breaths and remember why I started my virtual legal assistant business! So here’s my inspiration tip for today: find a quotation (or two!) and post them somewhere around your desk and read them in moments when you are feeling stressed or unhappy or you are simply lacking motivation. You can write the quote on a sticky note, or frame it or whatever idea your creativity finds!
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!
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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Customer Query About Halo Secretarial
I recently had a potential client ask me a question about how “good” I am at being a virtual legal assistant. It was actually a hard and easy question to answer all at once, and I thought I’d share here what my answer is.
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!
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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Canadian Bar Association Article on Virtual Legal Assistance
I was interviewed some time back for an article in the Canadian Bar Association Practice Link and today I’ve seen it for the first time, thanks to a tweet from Kate Kerans, another Alberta-based virtual legal assistant. The article title is Invisible Assistants and while I’m not sure I like that (somehow it seems a little cold) it is a nice informative article about virtual legal assistants and the value they can provide to a solo lawyer or a lawfirm. For example, a quote from the article:
A VLA’s tasks could include preparing a rough draft of affidavits or agreements, proofreading and formatting documents, conducting and summarizing legal research, liaising with clients, and transcribing audio and digital files. And the advantages of lawyers hiring VLAs are proving tangible.
For one thing, there are none of the overhead costs associated with having a staff person on hand. Kerans’ hourly rate may be higher than a regular legal assistant’s, but it doesn’t include paying for office equipment, benefits, sick days, vacation days, bonuses, and so on. Plus, she bills for only the time she works. “I find my clients are usually quite surprised by how much I do in an hour,” she says.
The writer of the article, Alison Arnot, definitely seems to have “gotten” what a virtual legal assistant can provide in the way of value. So nice to see!
Only one little comment about what she took from interviewing me:
Mapp’s clients, however, are not in Edmonton, where she lives, or even in Alberta, but in the United States.
Most of my current clients are in the United States, but I am of course totally open to working with Albertan or Canadian lawyers! In fact I would love local clients (have had a couple for general admin, but not legal yet!) it’s just an opportunity that hasn’t come up quite yet. Maybe soon?!
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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Vacationing Virtual Legal Assistant Returns
My poor neglected blog. I was away for a week and while I fully intended to try and get a post or two up while on vacation it totally didn’t happen! We got in later each day than I had expected and there just wasn’t time for much at all, let alone blogging about virtual legal assistance! Disneyland was great though and we got in a couple of trips to the beach, although the weather wasn’t so hot!
I learned a couple of lessons about attempting to work while on vacation with three small kids and two other adults. It doesn’t work so well. I definitely was able to check my email 1-2 times per day and respond to urgent messages. I also was able to complete a couple of projects and tasks for clients. I felt guilty about missing so much work time and would have liked to have made more time for my business, but also felt guilty about holding up the rest of my group when I was trying to get things done. So first lesson is that vacations of one week should probably include as little work as possible!
I also learned I should communicate a little better with my clients. I let them all know I’d be away, but didn’t send out last-day reminders which I think would be an improvement they would appreciate. Not that I’m planning another vacation for this summer (other than a long weekend to BlogHer in July!), still it’s important to plan a little better.
I’m very happy to be home though and once I’m caught up on a couple of things I might even have more time to blog and twitter again! In the meantime, here are a couple more vacation pics that I thought I’d share.
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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Financing Your Virtual Legal Assistant Business
The startup phase of business is hard, and it will be even harder if you haven’t planned properly for your expenses. Whether you, like me, are running a virtual legal assistant business or you are opening your first law practice, there are a number of things you need to consider when you sit down to establish your start-up budget.
Clients
I’ve been in business for approximately 9 months. I still am nowhere near full-time billable hours – and billable hours are the key, as you aren’t being paid for all that marketing time!! You may already have leads on clients, but in all likelihood you need to give yourself at least 6-12 months to really build up a decent clientele.
Also in relation to clients, you need to realize that funds will take time to start flowing. You may choose to invoice on a weekly basis to have some cash in hand, but many virtual legal assistants bill on a monthly business. Once you send out the invoice it may take a week or two to receive funds.
Startup Expenses
You will always have some expenses, but never quite so much as at startup. You may need to invest in equipment like a good computer, a printer or a scanner. You will want to consider adding specialty software like accounting software or graphic design programs. Then there is the cost of your website, hosting and the design of a logo or marketing materials. For some more detailed info about start-up costs for a virtual assistant business check out this article I wrote for Virtual Assistant Hub – there’s even a spreadsheet to help you plan!
Money in the Meantime
Once you’ve spent some time planning how much money you need to start your business you’ll want to spend some time planning where you are going to get that money. Maybe you have personal savings you can access, maybe you have family willing to loan or invest in your business, maybe you can talk to your bank about a small business loan. According to this article, lack of sufficient start-up capital is the cause of more than 70% of business failures. Even if you have a supportive spouse, family or friends to back you financially, you will need to keep a close eye on your income versus your expenses, to make sure your new venture does not become a money-sucking pit.
It is wonderful to have a positive attitude and a strong belief in your ability to succeed when you embark on the adventure of entrepreneurship, but don’t let financial issues drag you into reality. Be prepared and know exactly what it’s going to take to help you truly succeed in building your business!
p.s. this post was inspired by a great article at Law Practice Today written by Erik Mazzone. His tips are well worth checking out, especially if you’re starting a law practice. Erik is an experienced practice management advisor who blogs over at Law Practice Matters.
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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When To Partner With a Virtual Assistant
I think one of the most commonly asked questions about virtual assistance, particularly virtual legal assistance, is when is the time right for a business owner to start partnering with the VA. There is no wrong answer to this question, as ultimately the time is right when you are ready to start alleviating the administrative burden.
Still, I would say the earlier you are able to start the relationship the better. You may not need a lot of help early on in running your business, or at least you may feel like it’s an expense you aren’t ready to take on. Really though, a virtual assistant can cost a very small amount, especially at first, as you do not have to use a lot of their time initially. You may choose to partner with a virtual assistant who will work with you on an hourly basis with no set time commitment or a very small retainer of say 5-10 hours per month. Even at $40 per hour (just an estimate) you might only pay $200 to $400 per month to have someone who can really help you stay on top of things!
A good reason to partner with a virtual assistant sooner rather than later is that you will be able to get a good system and processes in place so that as your business grows and you get busier and busier you already have a reliable relationship in place and you aren’t then trying to start a search for some help when you can’t find the time at all. I know finding time is often an issue, and was reminded of it this morning when I read Nicole Black’s post at her Sui Generis blog about Saving Time and Money (she offers one solution for this via lawtechTalk, might want to check that out too!)
Don’t worry if you are already busy running your practice and you realize that maybe you should have found a virtual legal assistant a few months ago. It may be hard to fit in the time for researching and beginning the relationship, but it will be time well spent. Just remind yourself that an investment of say 3 hours now to find the perfect virtual assistant for you should pay off in many saved hours almost immediately and on an ongoing basis. And definitely don’t think it should take you a lot of time to find the perfect person to collaborate with – start with my series on partnering with a virtual legal assistant (link is to part 4, and that link contains links to all articles in the series) and honestly you should be able to make a choice within a week or so, just split the search effort up into a few days and you will be ready to go sooner than you thought.
Well, what are you waiting for? Go find the help you need now!!
Laurie Mapp, Owner Halo Secretarial Services Contact us for more information on virtual legal assistance!
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