Scenarios Below we have assembled three perspectives, Attorney, Client and Office Staff, of a few common scenarios to help you understand the technology and how to apply it to your practice. Attorney(Before and After) Client Office Staff (Before and After)

Attorney (Before and After)

Before VLO:

Client calls your office and you are unavailable due to being in court or with another client. Client leaves a message - tough court schedule means 2 days pass without getting back to client

• Client calls back in two days and again you are unavailable - court, client meeting
• Client leaves another message.
• Client gets frustrated and seeks help elsewhere.
• They wanted a complete estate plan prepared for their dying parent.  Or they had been referred by a co-worker who used your firm ten years ago and you missed a broken-back accident case or they wanted to file a TRO against a company for trespass on their property
• You don’t get the business and the client isn’t satisfied

After VLO:

• Client calls your office and you are unavailable due to being in court.
• Your secretary takes a message and offers the client immediate help through your new VLO

Client logs onto your Virtual Law Office and sees the “Reception” area.

• Client goes to virtual “Legal Library” for easy to understand information on Wills & Trusts
• From information provided, Client decides a Trust is the best fit. Subject to your advice when you return to the office
• Client goes to the virtual “Attorney’s Office” and selects … “have document prepared by an attorney
• Client chooses to have a Trust drafted
• Client fills out required information from the pre-set form for a Trust
• Client submits form to the attorney’s office for drafting
• Client is billed a predetermined flat fee via credit card by the VLO
• Attorney drafts the Trust from the information provided Client comes in and reviews doc

You have now taken a 2-hour process over two days and shortened it to 20 minutes in one.  (You have not yet talked to the client but you have "captured" them as a client by getting them to take action and submit information to you) 2 advantages captured new client while not in office billed for services while billing/handling another client matter

Now utilize the time it would have taken to explain the difference between a Will and a Trust as well as the time it took to gather the information needed and use these additional hours to bill other clients. You therefore increase your effective billing rate

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Client

• “John” is looking for an attorney for his divorce case he is thinking of filing
• John isn’t able to take off work so he searches on-line in the evenings.
• He finds many attorney profile websites that offer phone numbers and locations.
• John finds your website and sees the “Virtual Law Office”
• First, he is able to find some easy to read material on Divorce
• Next, he realizes he can go ahead and submit a question to your office in the “Ask a legal question” (This can be considered his free consultation or billed at an adjustable rate)
• While John is on the site he sees an article on “Estate Planning”. He has been thinking about having a Will prepared but hasn’t had time and didn’t know what was involved.
• At the end of the article is a link pointing John to the “Have a Document Prepared by an Attorney”
• Here John is able to input all of the information needed in order to get started
• At the end John is then billed a predetermined flat fee.
• The next day when John gets home from work he has an e-mail pointing him back to your site to look at the response to his question.
• John logs in and sees that you have responded to his question and tasked him with another form(Complaint/Petition) to prompt him for more information to continue the matter.
• John also has an e-mail stating that his Will has been prepared and he can either have it mailed to him or he can come in and pick it up.
• John goes to work the next day and tells all of his coworkers what fast and helpful service he received from YOUR law firm.
• Your firms entire interaction with John has only used a combined time of 1 hour to:
  • Introduce yourself to John
  • Gather John’s information
  • Provide material on his legal matter
  • Respond to his question with more information
  • Provide a fluid way to continue the matter
  • Provide material on Divorce
  • Gather his information for a Complaint/Petition
  • Prepare his Retainer Agreement
  • Bill him
  • Establish a new relationship

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Office Staff (Before and After)

Before:

Accept phone calls Answer routine questions over and over Take messages by hand Get customer information by hand Keep track of all this paperwork Deal with frustrated clients

After: Accept phone calls and direct customers to the VLO Clients get answers to routine questions on their own via the VLO Client enters their personal information via the VLO without the need for your assistance Data is managed electronically in one central and secure location Deal with satisfied customers More time to assist with other more important tasks

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