Running a virtual office *UPDATED*

One of the glorious things about being a contract attorney nowadays (or, indeed, a solo practitioner generally) is the virtual office. All the infrastructure that used to be a costly requirement for a formal office -- secretary, computer, printer, fax machine, copier, paralegal -- is reduced to a computer, a printer and a telephone.

I don't need to tell you about the computer or modem, obviously. If you're reading this post, you know about them already. Nor should I need to remind you that you don't just want a plain old printer printer. Instead, you want an all in one that combines printing, faxing and scanning capabilities.

This last, incidentally, is becoming increasingly important. More and more often, clients who used to fax or mail to me the documents they receive from the Court or opposing counsel, scan these same documents and simply email them to me. I love it. I'm no longer buried under mountains of paper (because, as you recall, I don't have a secretary who does my filing). Instead, I have neat, easily accessible computer files that contain the hundreds, or even thousands, of pages my clients send me.

The above is a good explanation for why my clients (all of whom are lawyers) need scanners. The fact is, though, that I find I need my scanner too. When my clients hand me a big paper folder and ask me to prepare a motion for summary judgment or summary adjudication, or an appellate brief or writ, I go through the folder and scan all the documents I need. I can then arrange them in whatever order is necessary and, using Adobe, bate stamp the pages. (It's actually called "page numbering" in Adobe, but I think of it as Bate Stamping.) That way, as I write, I can easily insert the required page sites. I also don't have to riffle through hundreds of pages. Instead, I can just have them visible on the screen next to the document on which I'm working.

But that's equipment. What about people? The miracle of the internet is such that you can hire support staff as easily as your law firm clients hired you. Here's an example of a paralegal organization that will also do large document management. I've worked with organizations like this before and I can tell you that, without exception, I've been extremely pleased with the work product. Just as you and I are, these paralegals and document managers are professionals. They care about their work and they care about their reputations.

If your typing skills are limited, or you're simply overwhelmed by paper work, you can also find word processors on line. My sister, for example, runs a home based business editing and typing documents. As we do, she relies on emails, scanning, faxes and telephones to get the job done. Her clients are loyal, and that speaks well to her reliability. (I'll speak well about it too, but I'm her sister, so you have to assume bias.)

Need help filing or serving documents in California? Try Castle Copy. I used them when I had to prepare and serve multiple Calif. C.C.P. sec. 1985.3 subpoenas duces tecums, and they were wonderful. They did all the worrying about the proper procedure for that darn ten day notice and for actually getting the documents (and California lawyers, you know what I'm talking about). I recommend them very highly, but I'm sure you can find other equally good filing/service organizations.

As you can see, working out of your home and taking advantage of available technology and all the other independent businesses out there, there is nothing to prevent you from functioning in the same way as a large office with vast numbers of support people. Best of all, these are costs that, once incurred, can be passed on directly to your client. Everybody benefits, because there are no fixed carrying costs -- there just a one time price for a service directly rendered. What could be better?

UPDATE: Since writing the above, I've learned about a gal who provides editing services that can be used by those lawyers who feel that their writing could use a little, how shall I put this tactfully?, tightening up (and, yes, you know who you are). This lady provides a similar service and I'm sure you can find some more if you look.