While the bulk of your responsibilities as a lawyer at the head of a small firm may be legal in nature, there’s a lot more that goes into running any business than providing services alone. However, you shouldn’t try to be a jack of all trades. If you’re concerned that taking on extra duties might take your focus away from your legal work, you may look to outsource it, instead. Here are some of the outsourcing solutions law firms usually use, and how you might benefit from them.
Your tech
Most modern businesses rely on digital technology to help them streamline their workloads and better manage their documents, and law firms are no different. In fact, law firms tend to have a much higher demand for both software and storage and, as such, there are plenty of IT services specifically for law firms, like Son Technology. If you need to set up an internal network, or simply want to make sure that your data and your client’s data are well protected, best to trust an expert.
Your marketing
Your record isn’t going to be enough to win over clients. You need to make sure they know what you’re about, how you can help them, and how effective, reliable, and trustworthy you are. Teams like Elite Lawyer Management can bring the PR and marketing expertise to your business so you don’t have to. This can include improving your personal brand as a lawyer through media relations, speaker appearances, content publishing, and more.
Your admin
From bookkeeping to data entry, document management, and answering the phones, virtual assistants have become an invaluable part of many businesses across industries. You might want to look for those that have specific experience in working with law firms, as there are several demands unique to the industry, of course.
Your HR
If you’re building up a competent and valuable legal team, then you want to make sure that you manage your responsibilities as an employer and meet their needs as employees. HR services help you take care of matters such as payroll, employee benefits, incentives, and even things like securing work visas and permits for those who might be working overseas. The larger your team gets, the greater your need for a dedicated approach to HR.
Your legal work
A growing trend in the legal world is that of firms outsourcing their legal processes to outside contractors. While some question this practice, with the understanding that clients come to them specifically for this, it has been helping firms large and small deal with consistently high workloads. However, care needs to be taken to ensure the best possible partner in managing the legal duties associated with your office, as you are going to be the one with final responsibility for their results.
What you outsource and when you outsource it is up to you. It’s simply important to know that it is an option you can reach for if you think the duties of starting a law firm are getting too much.
