Top Lawyer Coach, LLC

The Easy Way to Set Up a Virtual Law Office at Home

If you're a successful, practicing attorney who's tired of working out of a stale office or dealing with daunting staff issues, don't despair!

Take your law practice HOME!

Sure, the thought of moving to a home office may seem a little foreign to an attorney.... but really, it's quite common and easy to set up.

Charles "Chuck" Newton, who practices law in his own virtual law firm,  writes:

"The practice of law is not about physical property, it's about intellectual property and the high tech means by which we communicate what we know in this day and age."

That said, Newton asserts that a lawyer can start a law practice at home for just a few thousand dollars, maintain it for hundreds of dollars a month, and make a reasonable living in the process.

According to Newton, here are the four crucial components you'll need in order to successfully work from home.

1. Broadband

This is the lifeblood of any home office. It's important in that it provides the connectivity that makes communication, collaboration, and paperless practices possible.

Broadband access can come from a cable subscription, DSI, WiFi, or a 3G/4G network. You'll also need a computer, of any type or model, with sufficient memory, storage, and the latest OS software to support the broadband connection.

2. Ability to operate paperlessly

You'll want to keep printing and mass copying jobs to a minimum. Newton recommends an inexpensive scanner called Fujitsu SnapScan, which - combined with an older printer - eliminates the need for a copier.

3. Backup and automated filesharing

Invest in syncing software, such as Microsoft's Live Mesh, which allows you to maintain and update files on multiple computers.

Also, inexpensive online services or content management systems (CMS), such as Basecamp, allow for easy case collaboration.  These programs allow you, or multiple users, to maintain case notes and calendars, share and archive documents, and to obtain feedback from clients and referral sources.

Need a faxing service? eFax can provide online faxing and receiving of documents.

You can also send certified mail through your computer.

4. Telephone communication

Next to broadband, person-to-person communication is crucial for legal practice. The key, however, is to effectively and cheaply make phone calls.

For calling out, you can use a traditional landline, wireless, VoIP, web-conferencing, or any combination of these.

For calling in, you may want to consider using Grand Central or Google Voice that provides you one number that rings all of your phones. These services also provide voice prompts, call screening, and allows conference calls. Onebox and Vocalocity also have similar calling services.

The life of a lawyer who has no commute, staffing issues, or business signs is really not that far-fetched.

The ability to practice law at home is attainable!

All you need is the technology - or the glue - to hold it all together.