Hiring a qualified assistant can make or break a law firm’s ability to thrive amid a period of exciting growth. In a business’s cycle, there is a certain point where the growth means it is no longer sustainable for the business leader to run everything.
Law firms can and should avoid getting to this point by getting the necessary help from legal assistants. One Gallup poll shows that leaders who successfully delegate responsibilities generated 33% more revenue. While one can hire in-person assistants, there’s also a modern alternative: hiring qualified virtual assistants.
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced us to the limitless potential of remote workers. Although remote work was expanded out of necessity, it has stuck around thanks to the benefits it provides to both businesses and employees. Many employees prefer working remotely because it allows them to work on their own terms, which helps them be happier in the workplace and benefits the business in turn. A study showed that employees who are allowed to work remotely can be 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts.
One of the biggest benefits of turning to a remote workforce — as opposed to limiting one’s business to the local talent pool — is the ability to globalize. By allowing yourself to recruit internationally, you are opening your doors to employees with a wealth of unique perspectives and experiences who could bring something entirely different to the table than a U.S.-based employee. For example, many international remote workers are bilingual or multilingual, which can be a valuable skill for businesses to have in their arsenal.
Hiring the right candidates is time-consuming — but how you do so is just as important as where you look. You could end up with a ton of resumes from unqualified people and just a few solid ones. While opening the door to remote workers offers the opportunity to recruit all sorts of people you’d never have been able to reach before, it also means there will be a drastic increase in applications. Employers must be willing to sort through those applications to find the right people to hire.
Particularly when working in the law space, it’s important to realize that not just anyone has what it takes to be an assistant. Legal work is difficult and emotionally taxing, and legal managers must look for someone to assist them who can handle these uniquely stressful situations. One of the biggest myths of hiring virtual assistants is that they can only complete certain mundane tasks. The reality of virtual assistants in the modern day is that they can come with skill sets that allow them to perform all sorts of duties — from correspondence with clients to data entry, customer support and everything in between.
“By allowing yourself to recruit internationally, you are opening your doors to a wealth of unique perspectives and experiences who could bring something entirely different to the table than a U.S.-based employee.”
When a lawyer delegates these tasks to a virtual assistant, they have more time to spend on tasks that will enable them to grow and improve their firm. The fundamental duty of lawyers and the firm staff is to serve their clients. Although administrative tasks are certainly an important part of the client relations experience, what matters most is how the lawyer handles the case. A proficient virtual assistant handling administrative tasks can allow a lawyer to pay better attention to their clients’ cases.
Hiring virtual assistants to handle these administrative tasks has significant benefits to the firm, from increasing productivity to increasing performance. According to one study, some businesses that hired virtual assistants reported saving as much as 78% on operating costs per year. For businesses scaling — especially law firms — these savings can be reinvested to help the company grow.
It’s also a great way for lawyers to delegate responsibilities to set themselves up for success when growing their business. Virtual assistants these days are more capable than ever before, with unique, global perspectives and skill sets that allow them to complete a wide range of administrative tasks. Growth should be an exciting time for any business, and hiring virtual assistants can help lawyers take their business to the next level.
