Recently in Telecommuting Category

This post was written by Penelope Trunk: "I have this idea that I am going to start working from home. I tried to go into the office. But the only alone time I have in my day is the time I'm not with the kids, and if I spend my alone time with other people, then I don't have alone time and I start to panic, and I do things like tell the guy in the cube next to me that he can't talk to me.

1. Get a spot where you can concentrate...

2. Have close proximity to a coffee source...

3. Have good food, fast Internet, and a sofa for avoiding both...

4. Have a notebook for ideas that you save for when you're with people...

5. Find balance: Calm/exciting, chatter/quiet, people/no people...

Full text and active links are available by clicking on the author's name.

Source: Brazen Careerist, 27 February 2010. © 2009 Penelope Trunk, reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by Randall Ryder: "Admittedly, as long as you can afford it, having an office is a must. But I also think that having a mobile, paperless, office makes life a lot easier.

Today, for example, I needed to accompany a family member to some unexpected medical appointments. There was no freaking out because my entire practice is on my iPhone and my MacBook Pro at home..."

Continue reading this interesting post and access active links by clicking on the author's name.

Source: Lawyerist.com, 7 February 2010. © 2007-2010 Lawyerist Media, LLC, reproduced with permission of the site editor, Sam Glover.

This post was written by Nicole Garton-Jones:

The Demographic Landscape of Law

"The recent Law Society of BC Report on the Retention of Women in Law Task Force notes as follows:

• Women have been entering the legal profession in BC in numbers equal to or greater than men for more than a decade, yet represent only about 34% of all practicing lawyers in the province and only about 29% of lawyers in full-time private practice; and
• the legal profession in BC is aging and there will be a net reduction in the number of practicing lawyers - a looming shortage - as older lawyers retire without a corresponding increase in younger lawyers joining the profession.

The February 2007 cover story of California Lawyer magazine was entitled "We're Outta Here: Why Women are Leaving Big Firms." The article noted the serious issue of high attrition rates from the legal profession:

"The past few years have witnessed the highest levels of associate attrition ever documented, with an average annual attrition rate for both sexes of 19 percent, as recently reported by the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education. Within five years of entering a firm, more than three-quarters of associates leave. Female associates were nearly twice as likely as males to depart to pursue a better work/life balance."

The article's key quote was:

"If law firms want to get the best and brightest young women to join them and stay, they will likely need to change radically and adopt different definitions of sacrifice and partnership."

Talking points for the rest of the article include:

• The Personal Wellness Landscape of Law (Or Lack Thereof)
• How a Virtual Law Firm Structure Enables Heritage Law to Attract and Retain Lawyer Talent
• How it Works - Technology
• How it Works - Schedule 

Full text and active links are available at the source site listed below.

Source: Slaw.ca, 19 January 2010

Reproduced with permission of Simon Fodden, founder of Slaw.

In the news: "In a world where technology enables so much, it is time for law firm leaders to acknowledge and embrace the fact that employees can access information and provide good counsel from almost anywhere. That makes telecommuting viable for anyone. What does this mean for law firms?"

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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 1 October 2009. Copyright 2008.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe  <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

Posted by Carolyn Elefant: "Nearly a year ago, I posted here about the launch of Virtual Law Partners, an 18-member corporate and transactional virtual firm of "elite" lawyers. Though some observers expressed doubt about the viability of the VLP model, today the firm has nearly 40 lawyers. 

But VLP isn't alone -- more and more virtual firms are cropping up. As the National Post blog describes, there's the Rimon Law Group and Atlanta-based FSB Group. Both of these are virtual firms comprised of lawyers with at least 10 years of large firm experience; like VLP, Rimon focuses largely on transactional and corporate work, while the 50 attorney FSB Group handles a wide range of practice areas.

In addition to these large virtual firm models that serve corporate clients, there are also smaller virtual practices geared toward individuals or small entrepreneurs. Larry Bodine has a post today about Natoli-Lapin, a two-man virtual shop founded in 2008 that is building a niche in low-cost legal services for entrepreneurs, artists and others launching new business ventures. And Stephanie Kimbro's Virtual Law Practice blog lists a dozen solo and small firms operating virtually, including Kimbro herself in North Carolina. The ABA's GP Solo magazine documents the solo/small firm trend to create virtual practices, with this article by Aviva Cuyler and Niki Black.

The experiences of these virtual firms, large or small, suggest that they provide a win-win for lawyers and clients. Because the firms rely on experienced lawyers and slash overhead by eliminating large offices and administrative infrastructure, lawyers can charge substantially less for the same services provided by a large firm. For example, Rimon caps its rates at $185, while VLP partners charge around $350-$400 an hour, a huge discount off their former $700+ BigLaw rates. As for the lawyers themselves, virtual practices offer more flexibility.

The younger generation of lawyers should be following the virtual trend for several reasons. Notably, the large virtual practices do not want inexperienced attorneys, which means younger lawyers could potentially be left out in the cold. At the same time, virtual law practices make it easier for younger lawyers to go solo because they remove the cost barrier. In theory, newer attorneys could start a virtual firm by handling smaller, less complicated matters to cut their teeth, like Natoli and Lapin, and move on to more complex cases down the line. Is this something recent law graduates you know are considering?"

In the news: "Attorneys Frank Natoli and Moshe Lapin launched their new law firm in March 2008, just six months before the economy began its free fall. The timing proved something of a boon because of the firm's niche: low-cost legal services for entrepreneurs launching new business ventures. Natoli credits the firm's success to its business model, which includes offering unbundled, flat-fee basic services geared toward new business owners. Following a virtual law firm model also means 80 percent of the firm's revenue is profit."

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In the news: "When you are away from the office, if you can't be without the resources on your computer, you can either take it with you or access it remotely via software. Law.com's Legal Technology editor Sean Doherty reviews I'm InTouch from a remote location to test how well it keeps you connected."

The article discusses: subscription models, how to get started, "Secure Key" and "Secure PC."

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Posted by Tina Hilton: "As a virtual assistant, I pay particular attention to comments, both good and bad, concerning people who have worked with a VA.  And while I love the success stories I read, I also find a great deal of helpful information in the VA horror stories that surface from time to time.  Stories of miscommunication, sloppy work and misrepresentation helps me distinguish my business from others who lack the professionalism required to be a success.  But it doesn't  just point out the shortcomings of some virtual assistants, it also helps me see where some VA clients are falling short as well.  Below are six things I've noticed that clients are confused about which can cause them to have a bad VA experience.

1. Do your homework...

2. Know what you want to delegate...

3. Communicate clearly...

4. Realize that things may start out a little bumpy...

5. Respect your virtual assistant as a business professional...

6. Remember that your virtual assistant is not an employee..

If you keep these six things in mind while searching for and working with a virtual assistant, you'll increase your chances of forging an incredibly successful situation that will benefit both you and your business.

If you have questions concerning virtual assistance or have an interest in working with a virtual assistant you can contact Tina Hilton or visit her business website for Clerical Advantage.

Related posts:

Curious about Virtual Assistants?

Virtual Assistants, Unite??

Should 'New' Virtual Assistants Charge Less?

A Virtual Assistants Guide to Constructing a Web Presence Part IV- The New Networking

Can Virtual Assistants Help Teach the Masses?

The active links are available at the source site listed below.

Source: Home Office Warrior, 16 April 2009

Posted by Tina Hilton: "The phrase goes, "a jack of all trades, master of none." This doesn't necessarily instill a whole heck of a lot of confidence now does it?  As part of my day, I find myself reading a lot of blogs and forum posts concerning business and especially as it relates to virtual assistance. I recently read a post concerning the myriad of services that many virtual assistants find themselves offering, and why it's not necessarily a bad thing. It caused me to stop and think about just how that may be interpreted by potential clients and those outside of the virtual assistance industry.

As someone looking for a virtual assistant, would seeing an extremely long list of services cause you to be suspicious of just how good one person could be at all of them? Does it make you more comfortable to see just a small list of offerings, figuring it means they are more experienced in those few items?  Let me share a little something with you that may change the way you think.

...

A virtual assistant brings more value to you because you're benefitting from all of the knowledge they've gained through job, training and personal experience.  I don't offer services that I don't feel 100% confident in, and I'd imagine that's the way most VA's operate as well.

So rather than cringing when you see a long list of offered services, just see it as a better chance of finding services that will fit your needs. Perhaps when it comes to virtual assistance it's not a 'jack of all trades' it's more like a 'master of multi-tasks'."

The full text of this post is available at the source site listed below

Source: Home Office Warrior, 17 February 2009

Posted by Carolyn Elefant: "For almost two weeks now, I've been dealing with a family situation that has taken me out of town, spending both days and nights at the hospital.  Like many of my colleagues who responded to the MyShingle contest question, I too employ technology that lets me take my office with me on the road.  Unfortunately, great as technology is, it has its limits in that it can't actually do our work for us, particularly when that work involves complicated legal questions that don't lend themselves well to forms or templates.  So now more than ever, I'm coming to realize the importance of back-up -- not back up for files (though of course, that's critical), but human back up as well.  

So where can solos find colleagues who can back them up?   Here are some tips for finding good back up:

1.      Don't wait until the last minute...

2.      Make sure you can work with your back up...

2.      Reach out to colleagues...

3.      Scope out the talents of younger or newer solos lawyers...

4        Offer your help...

5.      Realize that back up will cost you...and get over it...

So fellow solos - who's got your back, and how did you find them?  Please share your ideas in the comments section."

Full text and the active link are available at the source site listed below.