Famous attorney (and even more famous president) Abraham Lincoln once stated that “a lawyer’s time and advice are his stock in trade.” That’s as true now as it was in 1836. Unfortunately, time is a commodity that is running in short supply for today’s legal professionals.

According to Clio’s 2021 Legal Trends Report,  most attorneys report billing just 2.5 hours a day on average.  This indicates that “many lawyers either don’t have enough clients to fill their day or that they struggle with inefficiencies in their firms that distract from billable work.”

Working even longer hours isn’t the answer. Instead, take advantage of virtual solutions that help you save time and maximize efficiency while capturing more opportunities to grow your practice.

How Virtual Receptionists Help You Convert and Retain More Clients

You want to deliver exceptional service to both new and existing clients, but between casework, answering questions, and handling administrative tasks, who has the time? Well, with a little backup, you do!

Virtual receptionists  are live, trained professionals who can answer calls and respond to website visitors 24/7. They’re available whenever you are not, like after business hours; or when you already have your hands full—for instance, when you’re on the phone with another client.

Not only does this help your practice deliver the quick response times that customers across all industries expect, but also the kind of friendly and empathetic service that helps you win over potential clients and retain the loyalty of those you already serve.

Best of all, removing yourself as the first point of contact can improve your relationships with clients by putting you in control of when and how you connect with them. The result: fewer distractions, more billable hours, and happier clients.

What To Look for In a Client Communication Solution

Virtual receptionists your firm’s secret weapon in improving client communication. But keep in mind that not every provider provides equal value. The best remote virtual receptionists offer flexible and customizable service, with capabilities tailored specifically to serve your practice.

Before signing up with a virtual call management service, make sure they offer a comprehensive suite of features that meet all your needs

Remember that answering calls is only one element of the right client communication solution.  After all, anyone can take a message, but only the right solution can create meaningful connections with the people you serve.

Coordinating Your Receptionists with Paralegals

Virtual receptionists are even better when you pair them with a virtual paralegal who can assist with the rest of the onboarding process.

Once your remote receptionist schedules an appointment with the prospective client, your remote paralegal can follow up with the prospective client to ask further screening questions to determine their suitability as a client. The paralegal can then schedule a call with you for an initial consultation.

If you take on the client’s matter, the paralegal can then coordinate the necessary tasks of onboarding. These could include sending out a retention agreement, creating a file for the client, tracking receipt of retainers, and collecting initial documents from the client and third parties. Your virtual paralegal can help you establish automations within a practice management system like Clio that automatically assign these onboarding tasks. These automations introduce efficiencies into the onboarding process and help ensure that critical steps in the onboarding process are not missed.

Once the client is onboarded, your paralegal can provide assistance in the more substantive matters of the case. If you’re a litigator, this may mean assistance preparing the complaint, drafting or responding to written discovery, and motion practice. For family law practices, the paralegal can prepare critical forms, assemble financial affidavits, and draft proposed orders. Paralegals assist trusts and estates practices by creating initial drafts of key documents. On the corporate law side, paralegals prepare initial drafts of contracts and assist with the formation of business entities. Whether it’s these areas of practice, or specialized areas like immigration, real estate, or bankruptcy, a paralegal can save you time.

Virtual paralegals can also save your practice money as compared to a full-time or even part-time paralegal. They are paid only for the hours they are needed, so you only pay for work performed. You also don’t need to worry about costs such as taxes, benefits, or on-site space and equipment. In fact, many firms profit from paralegal time by billing clients for the paralegal time at rates above their cost.

The Easy Way to Find the Right Virtual Paralegal

You don’t need to take time out of your practice to recruit a virtual paralegal. We have dozens of experienced paralegals on staff, sourced from all over the United States, ready to assist attorneys nationwide. Our flexible plans allow you to scale services up or down based on your workload each month.

Contact us today to learn how our virtual paralegals can support your practice.