The Virtual Lawyer

Virtual law firms are on the rise. Arden Partners plc, an investment bank, predicts that by 2026, one third of all UK lawyers could be working in virtual law firms.

The attractions of this new trend are obvious. A virtual lawyer has complete flexibility in deciding how, when and where he works. There will be substantial savings on office rents, commuting costs and overheads. Carbon footprint is reduced and the business is sustainable. Work life balance is no longer an impossible personal goal.

The Covid experience in the past 3 years has pushed the legal industry forward in terms of adopting technology to meet clients, and their own, needs. Clients will now expect more flexibility and ease when obtaining legal services. A virtual lawyer who can work around the client’s schedule, or provide the means to do so, will win the work.

To succeed as a virtual lawyer, clearly one must have the necessary experience in his field or be closely supervised by one who does. There will be regulatory rules in different jurisdictions to be complied with.

The next most important toolkit will be technology. The virtual law firm should be equipped with the technology to communicate instantly and virtually, combining human interaction with automation and AI. A good website which is user friendly and interactive will promote the law firm’s services effectively and globally on a 24/7 basis. Clients should have instant access to information on the progress of their files. A client portal and a cloud-based client management system is a must, not a nice-to-have. Gone are the days when a lawyer needs to return to the office to retrieve a document to review before answering a client’s question. A successful virtual law firm will place client experience at the centre stage. This can only be achieved by embracing technology which is advancing quickly and coming at lower costs.

The future is already here.

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