Elaine+Foster

Elaine Foster's Homework Assignments
HW Assignment 1 Part I 1. 5+ Good Things About Running a Virtual Law Practice 1) Non-standard work hours provide flexibility to both attorney and client 2) Be able to provide services at a lower price for people who cannot afford high fees 3) Lower overhead costs 4) Save gasoline 5) Save commuting time (and stress!) 6) Global reach 7) Work from anywhere 8) Better balance between work, family, other things 9) Learn to embrace what technology has to offer 10) Be responsive to changing requirements of customers

2. 5 Things That Could Go Wrong Running a Virtual Law Practice 1) Isolation from peers/clients 2) Some types of law cannot be unbundled 3) Your provider mishandles your confidential data 4) Your computer crashes 5) Some clients prefer the traditional way

Part II Definitions of "elawyering", Virtual Law Practice", "Digital Law Practice"

1. []

"eLawyering is defined as 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."

2. [] "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."

3. []

"What is a Virtual Law Firm? A "virtual law firm" is characterized by access by the firm's clients to a password protected and secure web space where both the attorney and client may interact and legal services consumed by the client. More specifically it can be defined as having a secure client portal that is accessible from the law firm's web site."

4. []

"A "virtual lawyer" is a professional authorized to practice law, who works with people all geographically dispersed, and whose law practice is carried on by means of a computer or computer network in such a way that it appears and feels like a physical law office, yet provides greater responsiveness, higher efficiency and better quality work product."

5. []

"A "virtual law firm" or "virtual law office" is characterized by access by the firm's clients to a password protected and secure web space where both the attorney and client may interact and legal services are consumed by the client. More specifically a virtual law firm can be defined as having a secure client portal that is accessible from the law firm's web site. The "client portal" is what enables a law firm to have a law practice on the Web. Through this secure protal, for example, a client can have private discussions of legal matters online, purchase legal advice online, assemble documents through the web browser, download and upload of documents for review, and pay legal bills online."

6. []

"By the basic definition, a completely virtual law office (VLO) is a professional law practice that exists online through a secure portal and is accessible to the client and the at torney anywhere the parties may access the Internet. A VLO provides attorneys and clients with the ability to securely discuss matters online, download and upload documents for review and handle other business transactions in a secure digital environment. With a VLO, an attorney's clients benefit from the convenience and accessibility and the attorney benefits from the flexibility of a virtual law practice, an online client and revenue generating software, and lower overhead associated with setup and maintenance of a nontraditional law office."

7. []

"The American Bar Association's eLawyering Task Force has defined a "virtual law practice" as one where a client has access to the firm's lawyers, communications and documents related to their legal matter through a pasword protected and secure web space where both the attorney and client may interact, documents are shared, and legal services consumed by the client."

8. []

"A virtual law firm as we define it, is one that has a "client portal" where clients can interact with their attorneys online, view copies of their documents, pay their bills online, communicate with their lawyer in a secure space where their attorneys responses are archived and available, assemble documents through an online questionnaire, and access other digital applications."