Ask VirtPara - Virtual Paralegal Blog

Launch - Virtual Paralegal Business - eBook is NOW AVAILABLE!

For virtual paralegals and assistants, setting the right fees for your services can be challenging without scaring away your potential clients and making a profit for your business.

There are a lot of factors that comes into play when setting your fees; but the main thing to remember is that, you are in business to make a profit; so if a client wants to use your services they should have to pay your fees.

After you have determined the right fees for your services; you need to start preparing to negotiate with your clients. The more prepared you are the more likely you will convince your clients that your services are an investment to their legal practice.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when negotiating your fees:

• Start by gathering testimonials from past and current clients.
• If you are a new virtual paralegal, provide recommendations and references from previous employers or professors.
• Create a list of referrals with names and contact information to give to the client if they request it.  Make sure to get permission from the referrals before adding them to the list.
• When possible, it is best to get testimonials, references and recommendations in writing.
• This way you do not have to bother your referrals every time you get a new client.

During the negotiation, always emphasize the benefits and savings you will offer clients when they use your virtual paralegal services.

• They do not have to provide you with office space, equipment or software.
• They do not have to pay tuition reimbursement, training and education.
• They do not have to provide healthcare, dental or vision insurance.
• They do not have to provide retirement insurance among other things.

When asked to explain your fees, always refer back to the following:

• Your years of experience
• Your education
• Your reliability
• Your quality of work
• Your commitment, loyalty and professionalism
• Your understanding of the importance of confidentiality in the legal business

Be aware that your interview is the first step in your negotiation and it is important to put forth a professional image which includes: your social media pages, your website and blog, and the way you represent yourself and your business to your clients in person, telephone and email.

Virtual Paralegal Directory

If you were looking to hire or partner with another virtual paralegal; would you be impressed with your current listing in the Virtual Paralegal Directory?Please update your listing in the Virtual Paralegal Directory.

During my research on solo and small law firms operation; I came across the results to a survey for services, software, virtual assistants among other things that solo and small firms frequently use in their law practice.

This link was originally posted by solo and small firm blog, myShingle.com, entitled “What Lawyers are using to Run Their Practices.”

I thought you may find it interesting.

Click here to view the survey results

Other links that you may find helpful

• Is There A Quicker Way To Perform Multiple Notarizations?
• StartupNation: 2013 Leading Moms in Business Competition
• • A chance to win $10,000 and Priceless Publicity for your Business

New Virtual Paralegal Directory – Still FREE!

• Join
• Update your listing

Coming soon to our eBook Store

• Launching - Virtual Paralegal Business

This eBook gives you a checklist of the steps you will need to take when you officially launch your virtual paralegal business. Click here for the Table of Contents

Newsletter/Blog - Past Issues

Showcase your expertise - Contribute to our blog and Newsletter

One of the perks of working as a virtual paralegal is to be able to work from home on a snowy day like today, in

A warm blanket, a great book and some hot chocolate makes for a perfect day!

This got me thinking, what books, articles, blogs or training would you recommend to your peers to help them launch or grow their virtual paralegal business?

My list is very long but I will narrow it down to my top three books:

Books

• Campus CEO by Randal Pinkett
• Virtual Law Practice: How to Deliver Legal Services Online, By Stephanie Kimbro
• Solo by Choice 2011-2012: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be By Carolyn Elefant

In addition to books, I also subscribe to several legal blogs:

Websites and blogs that I frequent

• Layerist.com
• Virtual Law Practice
• Solo Practice University
• ABAGPSolo Solosez
• Above the Law

What are your recommendations?

Paralegal Events

•§         NACBA Convention-San Diego, CA.-April 2013

Virtual Paralegals

The NACBA Convention registration is open.
Early-Bird registration ends March 15, 2013.

• http://nacba.org/Programs/EducationalPrograms/UpcomingPrograms/ConventionRegistrationInformation.aspx
  
  
• Click here for - New York Paralegals! Upcoming Events

New Directory, Still Free! Please update your listing in the Virtual Paralegal Directory

               Launch! Virtual Paralegal Business - Coming April 2013

In 2005, when I first launched my virtual paralegal business; I had two partners who supported me, so that I did not have to quit my day job. It was important for me to hold on to my day job for various reasons, such as medical, dental and retirement benefits.  Besides, I had no guarantee that my business would be a success.

Within a year after we launched, my partners decided to pursue other business opportunities and I was left to operate the business on my own. This was a HUGH problem for me because our core services were provided by my partners. My practice area at the time was securities and the least profitable service that we offered.

I considered taking on new partners but after a few trial and errors; it became clear that was not the right decision for me at the time. I was forced to put my practice on hold and figure out another way to re-launch. Eventually, I went back to being an “office paralegal” full time until I was laid off from my job.

After several months of job searches in the worst job market; I decided it would be the best time for me to re-launch my “virtual” paralegal business. Today, I have a new partner and my old partners are consultants.

Have you launched a virtual paralegal/assistant business and had to go back to the office? What is your story?

New Directory, Still Free! – Please do not forget to update your directory listing

Virtual Paralegal Contracts & Agreements

•1.       Choose your business name

•2.       Determine your business structure

•3.       Purchase your domain name

•4.       Create your website or blog

•5.       Research your practice areas software

•6.       Determine the fees for your services

•7.       Join social media

•8.       Create a marketing budget and your marketing materials.

•9.       Join paralegal and business organizations.

•10.   Network with other virtual paralegals in and out of your practice areas; and ask questions about starting a virtual paralegal business.

New Directory, Still Free! – Please do not forget to update your directory listing

                    Is it for me? Virtual Paralegal Business 

The new feature allows members to endorse other members’ skills with just a click of the button. I believe it is expected that if someone endorses your skills; you are also expected to endorse their skills, even if you have never worked with or for them.

I really appreciate anyone taking the time to write, or in this case to endorse me to enhance my profile but I am uncomfortable with someone endorsing me for skills that I lack, such as Litigation.

How does one determine who and what skills they will endorse for a member? Is there a benefit for the endorser?

On the other hand, the “Recommendation” feature seems to be more meaningful because it requires that someone who knows you explains why your skills or services are of value to a potential client or employer.

Choosing your business name is one of the most important steps to launching your virtual paralegal business.  Your business name will have an impact on how your clients’ view you and it reflects your brand identity.  It is very tempting to create the most unique names that may be suitable for hobbies or other businesses and forget the rules and expectations of the legal industry.

I have to admit that I am guilty of several ‘don’t’ when creating my business name. Like most eager entrepreneur, I wanted to be unique and standout among my competitors so I named my firm “Evolution Parajuristes” – paralegal in French. This has caused me some embarrassment when I could not properly pronounce the name of my firm. Needless, to say my clients had some difficulty with the name and the spelling. This was proven when they tried to send me emails that I did not received and when they paid using checks.

I am sure it also affected our referral services. Whenever a client refers someone to us, it is usually to one of our paralegals not the firm. Personal referrals were fine but it did not help much when we were trying to create our business brand.

However, we managed to do a few things right when choosing our business name.

1. We kept it short.
2. The name provides information about the services that we offer.
3. Our primary practice areas are corporate and compliance but our name allow us to expand in other areas without alteration or changing the name…again.

To correct our mistakes, we filed a DBA that allows us to operate our business under the English version “Evolution Paralegals”; lucky for us it was available both on the state level as well as a domain.

Our mistakes have costs us in several ways:

• We had to reprint all of our marketing materials
• We had to purchase new domains and change our email addresses
• The cost of registering the DBA
• Updating our website

However, the upside is that I can also market my business to French speaking clients.

Join our Virtual Paralegal Directory

Interested in guest posting for VPTC Blog?

We are in the first week of the New Year and most business owners are evaluating their businesses to see what they can do differently from the previous years to grow their businesses and what have worked in the past that they will continue doing.

Every year there are new trends on how to market your business and make it more visible but I have found that some of the old trends; tried and true are still worth the time and investment. However, we cannot ignore the power of social media but we can also admit that it is a challenge to stay on top of the changes.

Before we revamp our marketing campaign we are going to take an inventory on what has worked and did not work for us in 2012. 

Most virtual paralegals market their services “blindly” instead of targeting their clients; they market their services to the industry hoping that the right attorney will find them.

Here are VPTC’s Marketing Strategies for 2013

•1)       We will narrow our marketing to only attorneys in our practice areas who offer the services for which we have experience and are able to assist them virtually.

•2)       We will follow and connect with attorneys and law firms on social media who provide services in our practice areas to help us gain insight on services that are important to them and how we can better serve them.

•3)       We will use Google Alerts as one of our methods of keeping track of changes in our practice areas.

•4)       We will update our account pages for Social Medias and directories to offer more details about our company and list as many services as they will allow us.

•5)       Time for a new picture. In addition to updating our website and social media pages we will also update our profile picture to a more current and professional one.

•6)       In line with updating our pages we will do better at engaging and participating on attorneys’ discussion forums.

•7)       We will renew our membership with the New York Paralegal Association, Inc. to take advantage of their webinars, workshops and to network with attorneys through pro bono assignments.

•8)       Lastly, but definitely not least, we will fine-tune our branding: “elevators pitch” and company brochure.

So, what are your marketing strategies for 2013?

A few months back when I was at Blogworld New York, my friend Dave Ursillo and I wandered into a book store to find some social media book.  It turned out they didn’t have it but I stumbled upon Richard Branson’s book Business Stripped Bare. If there’s one guy I’d want to trade lives with for a day it would probably be Richard Branson. He’s made  a fortune, has had a blast doing it, and still seems to be going strong.  These are just 14 incredible life and business lessons from him that really inspired me.

1.You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and by falling over and it’s because you fall over that you learn to save yourself from falling over. 

I think it’s safe to say most of you know already how I feel about breaking rules. If you’re wondering how to move in this direction, start by breaking these 5 rules today. If we didn’t learn to walk by following rules, then we must question why it is we’re so hell bent on following rules, formulas, prescriptions and recommendations to do everything else in life.

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• Restaurant gift certificate
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