Donna+Baust

Benefits of having a virtual law practice: 1. Working from home 2. Using current media to reach more perspective clients 3. Client access to his/her records 4. Convenient for clients who have transportation limitations 5. Less expensive for clients

Disadvantages of a virtual law practice: 1. Less person-to-person contact 2. If internet service is lost 3. Not appropriate for all legal fields 4. Laws are not current with technology 5. Some clients are not computer literate

Online definitions Virtual law firm: 1. A **virtual law firm**is a group of lawyers with diverse expertise that are banded together through technological means to provide a suite of services to its clients. ([])

2. [E- Lawyering is] all the ways in which lawyers can do their work using the Web and associated technologies. These include new ways to communicate and collaborate with clients, prospective clients and other lawyers, produce documents, settle disputes and manage legal knowledge. Think of a lawyering verb—interview, investigate, counsel, draft, advocate, analyze, negotiate, manage and so forth—and there are corresponding electronic tools and techniques.” //eLawyering or virtual lawyering requires that a client be able to log in to a secure web space with a user name and password where they can access the firm’s legal services.// []

3. A platform that allows users to manage their practice over the Internet, offers a more blended definition: “virtual law offices can be completely web-based. . . or they can be. . . integrated into a traditional law office to expand the client base and provide the online services as an amenity to existing clients who will also visit with the attorneys in person.” Kimbro’s own virtual law practice, however, is completely web-based, one that exists online through a secure portal, making it “accessible to the client and the attorney anywhere the parties may access the Internet.” []