Virtual Law Practice

The delivery of legal services online is now accepted as a part of the future of the legal profession. In the next five to ten years all law practices will need to offer clients some form of virtual delivery in order to remain competitive. Consumers are actively seeking online legal services just as they conduct other business online, such as shopping, banking, investing, earning degrees, or paying their taxes.

In the past, online legal services companies, such as LegalZoom, were the primary option for many members of the public seeking online legal assistance. However, the services provided by these companies do not include review of the work by a licensed attorney. To meet this market need, attorneys and law firms in increasing numbers are creating completely web-based virtual law offices or integrating a secure online client portal and virtual law office into their traditional law practice.

Operating a virtual law office requires knowledge of the unique ethics issues and best practices for use of the technology to deliver legal services online to clients. This course will cover the following topics to prepare the student responsibility practice law using a virtual law office. Topics will include:

• Structures of virtual law practice
• Technology overview; legal SaaS and cloud computing
• Unbundling Legal Services
• Launching a virtual law office
• Marketing a virtual law office
• Ethics Issues
• Working with virtual assistants and virtual paralegals
• Best Practices
• Virtual lawyering in the future of law practice