Virtual Law Practice

Month: December 2011

  • Proposed CA Ethics Opinion on Virtual Law Offices

    The State Bar of California has released a draft formal ethics opinion (No. 10-0003) regarding the use of a “virtual law office practice” by an attorney. This seven page ethics opinion was tentatively approved by the State Bar Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct on November 5th and has been published for a 90-day public comment period.

    The question posed in the opinion:

    May an attorney maintain a virtual law office practice (“VLO”) and still comply with her ethical obligations, if the communications with the client, and storage of and access to all information about the client’s matter, are all conducted solely through the Internet using the secure computer servers of a third-party vendor (i.e., “cloud computing”)?

    The opinion acknowledges the impact that the Internet and technology have had on the legal profession and that “the provision of legal services via a VLO has started to emerge as an increasingly viable vehicle in which to deliver accessible and affordable legal services to the general public.” (more…)

  • December ezine on elawyering

     

    The December issue of Law Practice Today is focused on elawyering with articles from myself and fellow ABA elawyering Task Force members discussing different forms of elawyering.

    My article is a basic “get started with elawyering” introduction.  Here is an excerpt:

    It is not necessary to convert to a completely paperless law office in the clouds in order to benefit from different methods of elawyering. Most lawyers would prefer to get their feet wet first and then gradually find ways to take portions of their practice digital – whether that means moving to cloud-based applications for certain tasks or something smaller in scope, such as the use of a virtual paralegal or virtual assistant. There are a few simple first steps that a lawyer might take to getting started with elawyering…..read more

    Other articles in this issue include:

    Expand Your Solo or Small Firm Practice Using Client Portals, by Donna Seyle

    Document Assembly Over the Internet, by Richard S. Granat

    Dancing in the Cloud, by Marc Lauritsen

    An Update on Governing Cloud Computing, by Will Hornsby and Joseph Duffy

    The Potentials and Perils of a Virtual Law Practice, by Ed Poll

  • Online Legal Services in Shopping Center Kiosks

     

    Imagine shopping for your groceries and remembering that you needed to check in with your attorney regarding the status of your divorce case. You find a private legal services booth and step inside. You touch a few buttons on the computer tablet attached to the kiosk and a video of a receptionist who works for your law firm comes online to take your request. A few minutes later you chat with your attorney face to face via web conferencing and log off. Your attorney has informed you that she needs another item for the next hearing in your case. You add a note to your grocery list. When you get home, you will upload the document to your attorney online and schedule another video conference through your secure client portal – after putting the groceries away.

    Such access to legal services is now available in the UK by a company called Instant Law UK.  The LegalFutures blog announced last week that the company was placing video conferencing kiosks in shopping centers this month and by the end of 2012 it hopes to have 120 kiosks across the country. The video conferencing service is also available to clients via the Internet. Areas of law that the company provides include Family, Employment, Personal Injury, Immigration, Landlord & Tenant, Medical Negligence, Contract Disputes, Wills, and Probate. (more…)

  • ABA Journal Blawg 100 Honoree

    I was pleased to find out last week that this blog has made the list of the ABA Journal’s top 100 law blogs for this year. Thank you for reading!

    You can vote for your favorite blogs in different categories on the ABA Journal website, but they do require registration. This blog is listed under the LPM category, but they also have Technology, Opinion, Trial Practice, News, IP Law, and several other categories of blogs. It’s a great resource for finding or rediscovering new law blogs.

    I’m honored to have been nominated to the list along with some of my fellow bloggers that I read regularly. I just finished writing a new book for the ABA LPM section about limited scope representation, the future of legal services and how law firms can adjust to the changing legal marketplace by incorporating unbundling into their law practices. Now that the book is finished, I’ll have more time to devote to keeping this blog updated with current information on virtual law practice and elawyering. Again, thank you for reading!

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