The Virtual Law Firm: How to Build Your Practice in an Online

How to Build Your Practice in an Online World

The Virtual Law Firm

presented by

Presenters

2

Stephanie KimbroAttorney, Kimbro Legal ServicesTechnology Consultant/Evangelist, Total

Attorneys

www.VirtualLawPractice.org www.TotalAttorneys.com @StephKimbro [email protected]

Richard S. GranatPartner, Granat LegalLPM/ABA, CEO, DirectLaw, Inc. Co-Chair, eLawyering Task Force

www.elawyeringredux.com www.DirectLaw.com @Rgranat [email protected]

presented by

Introduction: The BasicsWhat is…

a virtual law firm? eLawyering?

What a virtual law firm IS NOTOn-line legal services: ExamplesWhat is driving the interest in this concept?

3

Latent Market for Legal Services50% of middle income households in the U.S. have at

least one legal problem per yearOnly 20% seek legal assistance from attorneys26% do nothing at all Increasing percentage of consumers seek

alternatives to lawyers such as self-helpE.g., Nolo and LegalZoom

Potentially huge market waiting to be tapped in the U.S. for personal consumer legal services

Gen X, Gen Y and the Web Gen Y (Born 1990) & Gen X (Born 1970)

2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers 96% have joined a social network

Social Media #1 activity on the Web 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media

Years to Reach 50 millions Users Radio (38 Years) TV (13 Years) Internet (4 Years) iPod (3 Years) Facebook (100 million users in 9 months, now near 300 million) iPhone applications (1 billion users in 9 months)

Reaching web-savvy clientsCreate an “online” brand

Develop an interactive web site Deliver legal services over the Internet Site supports the “virtual practice of law” More than a passive web site Acts as the “front-door” to your law practice

Internet clients are a significant part of your market territory

What is a Virtual Law Office?Secure client portal

Accessed via the firm’s web site Automated conflict of interest check Online terms & conditions

Attorney and client interact Start discussions, document automation and sharing,

create invoices & make payments All actions are audited by a VLO system Purchase legal advice online by telephone or email;

Legal services consumed by the client

7

What a Virtual Law Firm is Not!A law firm without a physical officeUsing web-based practice management tools and

applicationsThey always involve the actual delivery of legal

services over the web

8

Benefits - Immediate ImpactCapture new clients who are part of the “latent

market for legal services” who don’t use lawyers

Capture web-savvy clients who are members of the “connected generation” who expect to relate to their lawyers “on-line”

Deliver “limited legal services” on-line

9

Additional Benefits Increase law firm productivity Increase law firm profitabilityEnhance client experienceReduce telephone-tagEnable a more integrated lawyer/client relationship

10

On-Line Legal Service ApplicationsWeb-enabled document automationWeb Advisors – e..g. Chapter 13 Calculator Legal Advice On-Line Legal Document ReviewCourt Coaching for Pro Se ClientsCollaboration and CommunicationSearchable and linkable legal library for clients

11

Client Portal - Example

Last Will & Testament

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

You don't just ‘fill out’ an automated document – you create it.

The answers you enter create a custom legal document, built from a library of state-specific and relevant legal text, that is tailored to client’s specific facts.

FINISH

Automated Document Assembly

Next questionNext question

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed

do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.











Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in

culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.




Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.




Next questionNext questionNext questionNext question

START

Next questionNext question

Practice Management ApplicationsCase CalendarConflicts of Interest Checking Jurisdiction check to avoid UPLDocument ArchivingBilling and Invoices ManagementOn-Line Bill Payment by Credit CardContact Management

14

Attorney Portal - Example

Ethical Issues Client development issues

Multi-state compliance Pitfalls – trade names, stock art, filing/screening obligations

Creating the lawyer-client relationship Duties to prospective clients Click-wrap as a manifestation of consent

UPL Conflicts Competent representation – verifying the client’s identity Limited scope of representation Confidentiality

Security and Choosing a SaaS Provider

Payment for services

16

PracticalitiesHow do you make it happen?How much does it cost?Cloud computing and SaaSNeeds analysis

17

Costs of a Virtual Law OfficeFront End Web Site - Hosting and DesignClient Portal

Vendor pricing ranges from $49.00 to $299.00Web-Based Practice Management Solutions

Approximately $49.00 / attorney per month

18

Typical VLO SaaS Offering - What to look for?Minimal up-front capital investment No software or hardware to installEast to implementEthically compliantTotally secureSubscription-basedPlugs into your existing web site

19

Marketing Legal Services OnlineNew Market OpportunitiesDefining a NicheClient-centric web siteHow to make your web site findable!!Role of Social Media in Brand BuildingBuilding an On-Line Brand

20

If you build it, will they come?Client centric web siteContent and credibilitySearch engine optimizedPay-per-click advertising Law firm directories

21

Additional Resources ABA ELawyering Task Force

http://www.elawyering.com

Virtual Law Practice by Stephanie Kimbrohttp://virtuallawpractice.org/about/

Virtual Law Practice: How To Deliver Legal Services Online, ABA/LPM Publishing, 2010, by Stephanie Kimbro

The Virtual Law Firm Learning Centerhttp://www.directlaw.com/learningcenter.asphttp://www.virtuallawyerconnect.com

Unbundling Resource Center – American Bar Associationhttp://www.abanet.org/legalservices/delivery/delunbund.html

22

Questions? Please contact us!

23

Stephanie KimbroAttorney, Kimbro Legal ServicesTechnology Consultant/Evangelist, Total

Attorneys

www.VirtualLawPractice.org www.TotalAttorneys.com @StephKimbro [email protected]

Richard S. GranatPartner, Granat LegalLPM/ABA, CEO, DirectLaw, Inc. Co-Chair, eLawyering Task Force

www.Granat.com www.DirectLaw.com @Rgranat [email protected]

presented by

Date post:	14-Jun-2015
Category:	Business
Upload:	stephanie-kimbro
View:	3,331 times
Download:	1 times

The Virtual Law Firm: How to Build Your Practice in an Online

Business