A Guide to Virtual Legal Jobs
Virtual legal jobs are a modern evolution in the legal market and the traditional law firm paradigm. Are you wondering what virtual legal jobs are? They are legal positions that you can perform remotely from home (or anywhere) as opposed to in an office at a law firm. Virtual legal jobs include virtual assistants, contract attorneys, freelance lawyers, virtual attorneys and virtual paralegals . Virtual legal positions are typically project based, allowing you to work on legal projects with a high level of flexibility and choose the assignments that suit your career goals. Whether you are working as a full time freelancer, moonlighting while maintaining your 9-5 or have a thriving legal business, virtual legal jobs give you the opportunity to apply your legal expertise and experience and become a key player to move law firms and in-house legal departments forward.
Why Consider a Virtual Legal Job?
The ability to work from anywhere in the world, on your own schedule, without the constraints of the traditional 9-to-5 routine makes virtual legal jobs an increasingly popular choice for seasoned attorneys, struggling new associates, or paralegals and support staff looking to realize their professional ambitions on their own terms. The proliferation of Internet-based legal technology and remote meeting software has opened the doors to a range of legal jobs able to be performed from the comfort of your own home office — or a beach in Bali — with businesses in all legal practice areas where remote employees are needed.
Virtual legal positions may include review work, research, managing an offsite audit, preparing expert reports, legal writing, analysis, opinion drafting, document drafting, corporate renewals, paralegal services, foreign filings, patent prosecution, insurance coverage litigation, and intellectual property work. Positions for which recruitment may be handled through dedicated agencies such as Paragon Legal, Axiom, Parker + Lynch Legal, or Global LT, which recruits legal professionals and legal office managers for corporate clients across the globe. Hourly rates vary by position, with some paying well above traditional salaries.
Common Virtual Legal Roles
In the realm of online legal services, numerous positions are needed to support from a remote capacity. Virtual paralegals provide litigation and transactional assistance, conducting legal research, preparing reports and pleadings, drafting correspondence, and maintaining files—all for a fraction of an in-house paralegal’s overhead. Virtual assistants serve as administrative support, often from their home offices, for an attorney or legal department on a contract basis. Outside general counsel perform the duties of an inside legal department for a variety of clients and industries. Virtual attorneys hire out their services to law firms and corporations. And online consultants offer their legal expertise to various organizations—such as governmental agencies—and individuals as needed. The offsite and flexible nature of these opportunities affords professionals new and experienced the luxury of working from home, while having more freedom over their workload, hours and even income.
Skills Required for Virtual Legal Positions
Proficiency with technology is of course mandatory. Virtual legal firms will need personnel who are comfortable working with a range of modern file-sharing, software-based case management systems, e-communication, and the newest editing tools. All this and more must be easily used in a cloud-based setting or on the go via a smartphone app. Strong communication skills, especially in written form, are also a must. Clients are often involved in the hiring process — they often set up interviews themselves, at their office or home — so you need to be comfortable speaking with new clients as they come your way. The ability to analyze facts in order to help clients understand their options is an important skill for virtual legal work. The flexibility to devise creative solutions to certain legal issues is also vital.
How to Land Virtual Legal Jobs
With the increase in remote and virtual opportunities, either as a full-time pursuit or a supplement to your practice, the search for such opportunities has expanded. As with traditional job searches, you can investigate the resources available through your state bar and bar-related organizations. These include an online Job Bank or Job Listing and Career Resources center where jobs are posted based on subject matter, including virtual opportunities, and new pages on telecommuting, working from another state, and running a law practice from home. You will also find articles and information about starting your own practice, solo practice resources, and attorney relocation. Additionally, subsidiary groups of your bar association, like the Solo and Small Firm Sections, may offer support, resources and job referral opportunities.
You’ll also want to broaden your horizons and look at some of the more popular websites where attorneys and firms post their virtual opportunities . These include: Lawjobs.com, LawCrossing.com and TopLawyerJobs.com (for associate positions). Most of the larger legal job boards now include a virtual category on their radar screens, including LegalTalentHQ. Smaller niche job boards also have postings, especially for contract and temporary work (like HireCounsel, Axiomsp). Many legal job sites will have a Telecommute/Work Remotely category among their filters. Recall that most of the most popular sites aggregate other attorney job boards and so you can search lots of opportunities here at once. Another good place to find this information is Fastcase, an online legal research service that works with many state bars. By clicking on the "Career Center" link, you’ll get to a host of attorney career resources including a listing of jobs at participating firms for their members.
Drawbacks of Virtual Legal Careers
As with most careers, working in a virtual legal role with a legal recruiting firm comes with a unique set of challenges and experiences that one would only experience in a distance-based role. One of the biggest issues brought up by those who work virtually in the legal field is the lack of direct human interaction. Virtual legal professionals working from home must make the conscious effort to build relationships with others in their field, and develop a routine that allows them to think outside of their home office.
Another challenge that comes along with a virtual legal job is the potential for overwork. When you are already working from home, there is no real clean line separating your home and your office. A legal professional may find themselves on the phone with a client until 10 p.m., typing notes on a contract at 1 a.m., and waking up at 6 th thing in the morning to find that work they completed the previous day is due. In this way, working virtually may promote overwork and burnout if the legal professional does not schedule their time properly.
In general, virtual legal professionals need to be dedicated, responsible, and have their own sense of discipline to allow them to complete projects and get on their phones to communicate with clients.
The Future of Virtual Legal Employment
Looking ahead, emerging trends promise to further shape and redefine the virtual legal landscape. As more law firms and legal departments embrace virtual work models, the demand for skilled virtual legal professionals is likely to grow. Additionally, technology will continue to play a central role in how legal work is performed. For instance, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are likely to change the nature of legal research and discovery. Already, legal research software uses AI to deliver relevant case law and statutes based on user queries. This technology not only saves time, but it also allows remote attorneys to build stronger cases for their clients.
Cloud-based project management tools will also evolve. Virtual legal teams will be able to collaborate on cases and projects from anywhere in the world. Furthermore, secure communication platforms will allow legal professionals to work closely with clients regardless of physical distance. This integration of technology will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of virtual law firms.
In addition to changes in technology, the virtual legal market is likely to expand as more legal professionals embrace the benefits of working remotely. For example , paralegals and legal administrative assistants are increasingly offering their services remotely. As firms see the value in hiring remote legal professionals, they will seek to establish partnerships with trusted virtual providers. Eventually, a broad network of both remote and on-site support professionals will give firms flexibility in choosing the right virtual providers for their needs.
Another trend to watch is the impact of globalization on the legal profession. As international trade and business transactions become more common, legal professionals will have to navigate new complexities. In response, virtual law firms will need to expand their understanding of international law and seek out remote partners who can offer valuable global insights and expertise. As a result, the virtual legal industry will continue to grow in size and scope, creating new opportunities for both legal professionals and their clients.
Overall, the future of virtual legal jobs looks promising. As law firms and other businesses integrate technology into their operations, the demand for virtual legal professionals will remain strong.