While many lawyers like to handle every aspect of their practice hands-on, it is not a smart or profitable way to run a firm.
Instead, hiring an experienced, capable paralegal can allow you to focus on the critical aspects of your business and allow someone else to assist with the nitty-gritty.
Whether you are hiring your first paralegal or you are looking for additional help for your current staff, you should consider if the best option for you is to hire a virtual paralegal who can provide the same support you get in the office without the overhead or paid downtime.
The following are some tips to help decide what is best for you and your firm:
Assess your needs
How much work do you really have and what type of work is it? If you you’re overwhelmed with substantive work in a specific area and it is over 30 hours per week, it is probably best to hire someone full time.
However, if you don’t have enough work for a full-time employee, if the work is varied, or if the work is administrative in nature or requires little training, it is probably best to hire a virtual paralegal.
Another sign that a virtual paralegal is the best fit for you is if your business volume ebbs and flows.
Examine Your Budget
It doesn’t make sense for you to hire a $200/hour high-level freelance attorney to cite check a brief. It also doesn’t make sense to hire someone to work 40 hours per week when you only have 5 hours of work.
Choose the Right Paralegal
Rather than limiting your hiring options to your immediate geographic area, you can expand into the best talent available to find Florida-experienced paralegals who are able and willing to work for as long or as short of a time as you need.
Decide what tasks you want to start with
Although we know how hard it can be to delegate, and we are happy to help you by making suggestions, it may be a good idea to assess which tasks you need the most support with.
- Do I need help with intake?
- Do I need help with organization?
- Do I need help with substantive legal work? In which practice area(s)?
- Do I need help drafting pleadings and other documents?
Start with a small test plan
One of the great things about hiring a virtual paralegal or virtual assistant through Opulent Landholdings is that there is no commitment! You can start with a small, 6-hour test plan. If you are happy with the services, great! If it is not quite the right fit, you can simply cancel, and you will still have work product completed.
Conclusion
More often than not, attorneys realize that hiring a virtual paralegal is more cost-efficient, more convenient, and a better fit for their situation. Deciding to work with Attorney Services’ virtual paralegals will position you favorably in a competitive hiring market where many law firms remain stuck on the idea of only working with in-house teams.
If you find yourself in this group, contact Attorney Services today!
