Billable Hour Must Die - ABA Article

This is the comment I posted to an article entitled, "The Billable Hour Must Die", by Scott Turow, published in the ABA Journal's August issue.

“I am hoping that lawyers, especially litigators, will more often be bold enough to consider offering clients alternative billing arrangements.”

I agree with this statement made by Turow in his article. It was taking an initial risk professionally, but I have been practicing law online from a virtual law office where I can offer clients price quotes and fixed fees for my services. It's similar to the "fair fee" system Turow mentions in the article. It lets my clients know upfront what they can expect to pay so that they may budget for it.

The system has a learning period for the attorney to figure out the balance of how many hours it will take to do a project and then equate that with a fee based on the initial consultation with a client. However, the client response to this system of paying for legal services has been great. I'm hoping more attorneys will consider this or at least integrate it along with their current billing methods. Virtual law practice is also a great way to provide cost-effective services to clients. Without the overhead of a physical law office it also makes sense for the attorney.

If anyone is interested in how it works, Virtual Law Office Technology (VLO Tech) provides software that sets up virtual law offices for attorneys (patent pending). Again, I've been practicing law completely online for over a year now and the public response has been very positive. It provides a good alternative to the traditional billing system.

Supporting Virtual Law Practices

Keeping up with blogging has been impossible between running my online law practice, raising an 18 month old and forming a new software company. I'll do my best to provide a brief update.

In June, we filed a patent for the virtual law office software and business method. We formed a company called Virtual Law Office Technology, LLC (VLOTech). The company provides software that connects legal professionals to the online community. To view a beta version of the software, please visit my law practice, Kimbro Legal Services at www.kimbrolaw.com. We have drafted a detailed business plan and are currently seeking angel or other investors to assist in getting the company up and running.

A handful of attorneys in several states have shown interest in being some of the first attorneys in their states to set up virtual law practices. A couple are interested in integrating them into their existing practices and others are interested in having a completely virtual, homebased law practice. I have about a couple attorneys a month contacting me and that's with zero marketing effort. I'm very excited about the potential that this has not only to offer a greater work/life balance for attorneys and another way to profit in their businesses, but also that it will offer more affordable and accessible legal services to the public.

After over two years of research on the virtual law office as a business method for the legal profession, I feel very strongly that it is a great alternative way of providing unbundled legal services. An attorney could combine it with an existing brick & mortar law office and expand their client base to anywhere in the state(s) in which they are licensed to practice law. The software and business method provide for a number of different business applications. When we have more marketing materials ready for the company, I'll post a link to those and the demo of the software. For now, we are working hard on the website content for VLOTech.

Update on progress

I have been enjoying the personal contact with clients that I think only can really happen in a small law practice. My clients don't have to wade through the secretary and paralegals to communicate with me. I'm available 24/7 through the website and I check it at all hours of the day and night which makes it more convenient for everyone. At some point, I would like to put testimonials up on the website from some of the clients. I think some people may still have the misperception that practicing online removes you from real interaction with the clients, but I've not found this to be the case. People communicate online today more than they do in person. I know I shop and bank online more than I visit a mall or stop in to chat with my local bank representative. I see my online law services as an extension of services available to the community in a more efficient and affordable manner through the Internet.

There is a great article in the San Francisco magazine by Natasha Sarkisian about how younger generation lawyers are starting their own law firms as a way to escape the "biglaw" partnership track as the traditional, end-all-be-all of practicing law. It is definitely a trend that I'm thrilled to be a part of. The writer of MyShingle.com is another lawyer who started her own small firm and really supports the efforts of other attorneys in making that life change. My practice may be a new concept right now, but give it a couple more years and there will be more competition out there! The more the merrier!

Growing Busy

The online law office has really taken off - faster than expected actually which means that I have not had the time I had planned on to blog about legal updates in N.C. law. My clientele has built up relatively quick and fortunately is coming in steady each week. A few clients are still calling me on the cell phone or office phone to ask questions rather than going to the online format. However, we are working to add features to the client's personal pages on the site that will make corresponding and uploading and downloading documents more simple and user-friendly.

Having the flexibility to get the work done when I want to is the nicest thing about the online law office. If I need to go out in the middle of the day and work instead in the evening or early in the morning, that option is available to me. In fact, I just got back from an out of state trip yesterday. I worked remotely for the entire week from the website's administrative end and my email and didn't miss a beat with my clients. I'm thinking the quality of life that I have right now, being able to stay at home with my smart and energetic 9 month old and really give her the attention she deserves, makes up for the larger income that I might have had working crazy billable hours at a more traditional law office. And I'm able to stay current in my profession and continue to practice in the areas of law that interest me the most. I'll do my best to fit in more blogging about my practice and on new developments I read about in N.C. estate and small business law but, happily, I've got my hands full right now!