Posts by admin
Legal Assistance – Virtually Everywhere!
I have just been getting my virtual legal assistance practice off the ground (in fact my website is currently under construction now that I’ve hired a web designer!!) and sometimes I have worried that lawyers won’t be comfortable hiring a virtual legal assistant. Maybe they won’t be comfortable with me being so far away or won’t be sure that I truly understand the nature of confidentiality rules and ethical practices. In my previous job they weren’t even fond of telecommuters because they felt it wasn’t protective enough of the client’s documentation. Really I think they just didn’t trust any of their employees to work...
Read MoreDo They Teach This in Law School?
I’m sure many of these skills – collaboration skills, emotional intelligence, financial literacy, project management, technological affinity and time management – aren’t required courses in typical law school curriculum, but I totally agree with Jordan Furlong’s post on Law 21 detailing the 6 skills lawyers should have today. I personally think the most interesting skill noted is the need for emotional intelligence. Winning clients in the modern time is DEFINITELY going to require an ability to truly empathize with and respect clients’ positions. As a businesswoman I always prefer my service providers to understand where I’m...
Read MoreThe Future of Solo Law Practice?
I was surfing LinkedIn this morning, as I’d like to start making better use of its networking possibilities. I was searching Canadian members of the Legal Blogging group and found the blog of Donna Seale, a lawyer who niches in the human righs area. Donna shared this fascinating article from Susan Goldberg for National Magazine, an article which Donna was interviewed for. I love how the article addresses the benefits of blogging as a marketing tool for solo law practices. The article, which is about the changing face of solo law practices in Canada, also features some wonderful comments from Susan Cartier Liebel of Build a Solo Practice, LLC fame about how niche...
Read MoreDo you find work stressful?
This is an older article I came across recently, but stress, not surprisingly, continues to plague lawyers and business people alike. Work and life balance is a common topic in the work world, certainly with many people I know anyway. I know it’s on my mind. I love working – I love the challenge of difficult assignments, I love helping clients, I love the planning process! But without balance between my work life and my personal life I feel VERY stressed. I love my kids and husband and I need time to enjoy being with them. Don’t most of us need time away from work? Maybe we want to go to our kids’ soccer games or go for a long walk after...
Read MoreLaw Practice and Life Balance
Yesterday I read this article by Melanie Jester from Oklahoma Bar Journal Articles. It discusses work-life balance for lawyers. And then later yesterday I took my boys to the park and ran into a very nice lady, who it turns out is a lawyer on maternity leave and we discussed the topic of lawfirms and trying to have a career and a family. I think balance is an elusive but achievable goal – it just takes having an open mind to doing things a different way. This is the part lawfirms struggle with I think – there is often a tendency to do things as they have always been done, since it has worked for so long. But there is a long list of ways to give your...
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