How Lawyers Can Benefit from Virtual Offices

Technology has changed many things in the way businesses operate and law firms are not an exception. There are many reasons why you can choose to forego the traditional office setup. For instance, you could do it to keep up with technology or save cost. Operating a virtual law office comes with two options.

You can choose to either run your office from home or make use of a co-working virtual office network. The former includes setting up an office space at home, working from coffee shops and hotels, working on the go, and keeping your work organized online.

The latter involves renting a shared office instead of having a designated office. This means the virtual office network will allow you to reserve rooms for meeting with clients. In most cases, these rental office networks have multiple offices and locations, thus allowing you to work out of them as you travel or carry out other activities. While you still keep all your work virtual, you can receive mails and phone calls into your office location

Whatever option you choose, virtual offices have the following benefits to lawyers.

A virtual office offers better customer service and communication solutions

Unlike a physical office where customer service skills depend on your amenities, a virtual office comes with improved communication solution. This includes video conferencing, mobile phone, and a fax number.

This virtual landline gives you the opportunity to divert landline to numerous mobile devices. This service enables lawyers to divert out of hours calls and increase their availability to speak with clients, thus improving their relationship with its clients.

A virtual office has all the amenities

Lawyers need to make a good and lasting impression on their clientele. Unlike physical offices where furnishing and all amenities depend on the organization, virtual offices are equipped with extraordinary amenities such as conference rooms, state of the art technology, and executive suites. With a virtual office, you do not have to worry about first impressions.

A virtual office is flexible and tailored to your needs

Since lawyers require flexible working arrangements, a virtual office enables you to customize your office based on what you need. You do not have to pay for services that you do not need. By offering both part time and full-time options, you can have your office hours whenever you need them. These options include services like an email forwarding system, picking up a receptionist, and setting up a meeting room, among others.

A Virtual office is convenient and cost effective

Compared to a traditional office, a virtual office is far more cost-effective due to reduced overheads.

For instance, working from a virtual office does not have to commute daily; you can operate on the go and only use a physical location when meeting a client.

A virtual office saves on space

After the onset of Covid19, most law firms have reduced their office staff in order to implement social distancing requirements and prevent the spread of the disease. Some offices are even getting rid of their physical location due to increased office maintenance costs. Using virtual offices would save on space and time spent commuting from home to the office.

A virtual office allows you to serve a wider client base

Whether you are running a virtual office from home or you are utilizing a virtual office network, you avoid being tied down to a single office location. Using a virtual office, therefore, gives you the opportunity to expand your law firm and attend to a wider range of clientele.

Operating from a virtual office provides you with the opportunity to network with other lawyers and law firm owners who might be sharing the same suite with your firm.

As a lawyer, you can carry out your office duties anywhere and collaborate with other law firms without any geographical restriction.

A virtual office allows you to control your life work balance

With a virtual office, you do not have to sit in the office and wait for clients. A virtual office gives you the flexibility to spend time with family, play golf, or spend time with friends. With a virtual office, work becomes a secondary component of your life since you are organized and work only when there is a need to do so. You are also able to choose your working hours, hence increased productivity levels.

Reduced monthly costs

Compared to a traditional office, which requires water, electricity, and other amenities, a virtual office is cheap. You only need few working devices. If you operate from a virtual network, lease per month is also cheaper as compared to renting a physical location.

For startup law firms, working from a virtual office eliminates the need for physical infrastructure. 

A virtual office is not limited by space

With the onset of Covid19, most law firms, in a bid to reduce the spread of the disease, have encouraged their staff to work from home. With a virtual office, space is not a limitation since most of the staff works from home or remotely.

For small law firms, using a virtual office can help you free up some office space, avoid overcrowding, and make delegating more appropriate. As the world goes to war with the Covid19 pandemic, you need to be mindful of others by providing enough space for staff and other work responsibilities.

A virtual office allows you to show up in Google more often

Attorneys love using virtual offices to configure new places to appear in Google's search results. In general, attorneys will get a virtual office and use the address to activate a new Google My Business (GMB) page. That page then has the ability to show up in Google search results in the local pack or over in Google Maps. According to this guide for attorneys, this is technically against Google My Business's official guidelines if the location is not staffed during business hours. There are, however, many pros and cons to using this tactic, and attorneys may indeed list their law firm as a "service area business" and stay in Google's good graces..

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it is clear that law firms can increase productivity while minimizing their operation costs when they use virtual offices.

Davinci Virtual is utilized by a variety of attorneys in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta & Washington. Get a live quote from us today.

About Lindsey Busfield

Lindsey Busfield, PMP is a certified Project Manager for Optimize My Firm. She develops optimized marketing and operations strategies for law firms nationwide.