Practicing Law with a Virtual Law Office

Transcription

1 Practicing Law with a Virtual Law Office presented by Stephanie Kimbro, MA, JD Attorney, Kimbro Legal Services Technology Consultant, Total Attorneys Greensboro Bar March 29, 2011

2 Overview Part One: Introduction to Virtual Law Practice Part Two: Structures of Virtual Law Practice Part Three: Ethical Issues Part Four: Best Practices Conclusion

3 Part One Overview of Virtual Law Practice What is virtual law practice? What is elawyering? What is it not? The market for online legal services Benefits o For the public o For our profession

4 What is virtual law practice? A virtual law office is a professional law practice that is located online through a secure portal and is accessible to both the client and the attorney anywhere the parties may access the Internet. Other terminology: virtual lawyering, VLO, virtual law firm, web-based or web-enabled law practice, online law practice, delivering legal services online. Username: Password: LOGIN

5 Virtual law practice is not exclusively an online website that sells legal documents without attorney review, such as LegalZoom and other web-based companies selling online legal forms a law firm website with an contact us for a free quote form for prospective clients communication by even if sent through a law firm s website a rented physical office that may be shared with other professionals along with a receptionist service VPNs, extranets and other services, such as GoToPC and LogMeIn a conglomeration of attorneys in remote locations pooling resources and communicating over the Internet a law practice based in a virtual reality world, such as Second Life

6 Benefits For the Public Greater access to justice Court systems and non-profit legal aid organizations already rely on cloud computing methods to deliver legal services online Affordable and accessible legal services for lower and moderate income individuals Pro-se litigants Pro bono opportunities

7 Benefits For the Legal Professional Main Benefits Technology streamlines and automates the workflow allowing the attorney to focus on practicing law Prevent malpractice through automated checks and processes Lower overhead, less office waste, eco-friendly Expanded client base, competitive advantage Better quality of life through work/life balance and flexibility As a transition method while meeting other personal and professional needs: o To raise families o To care for ill spouses or aging parents o To ease into retirement o After layoffs, to start a solo practice or work while searching for another legal job

8 Is there a market for this? From October 27 November 25, 2010 one month alone - an estimated 406,000 people in the US searched for online legal solutions through the LegalZoom website. Ecommerce continues to grow.

9 There is a growing online market for legal services. Online companies such as Legal Zoom, Inc., Nolo, Inc., and USLegal, when available for specific areas of law, are being turned to by the public and individuals who may otherwise have consulted with a lawyer in person.

10 Customer service has changed. THEN All law firms must make CUSTOMER SERVICE a part of delivering quality legal services. NOW

11 Good Customer Service = Communicating and being accessible using methods that are currently embraced and relied upon by our clients. Your clients are used to using social media with friends and family online.

12 Your clients regularly do the following tasks online: Shop Sell Bank Invest Trade Pay Taxes E-file Obtain degrees Work

13 Be ready for the Digital Natives

14 Part Two: Virtual Law Practice Structures Unbundling Legal Services Doc Assembly/Automation Practice Management Client portals & methods of communicating Case studies

15 How Attorneys Use Virtual Law Offices Completely Web-based Unbundled or limited legal services Integrated into a traditional law office Unbundled and full-service

16 Unbundling Legal Services Break out tasks associated with a legal matter and provide the client with only specific portions of the legal work Clearly define for online client the nature and scope of unbundled legal services what will and will NOT be covered Provide comparisons/education for the client to make an informed judgment

17 Online Document Assembly & Automation Automating document assembly for online clients Intuitive online forms Purchased directly by the client after attorney review or in conjunction with additional legal advice

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Next question Next question Next question Next question START FINISH You don't just fill out an automated document you create it. The answers you enter create a custom legal document, built from a library of state-specific and relevant legal text, that is tailored to client s specific facts.

19 Online Case & Client Management Clients have access to their own online case files with limited control Backend online law office with case and client management Other law practice management tools

20 Traditional Firm w/virtual Law Office

21 Virtual Law Office - Home Office

22 Unbundled Legal Services

23 Multijurisdictional Virtual Law Firm

24

25 Unbundled Legal Services

26 Client Portal - Example

27 Client Portal - Example

28 Attorney Portal - Example

29 Practice Management Applications Case calendar Conflict of Interest checking Jurisdiction check to avoid UPL Document archiving Billing and invoice management Online bill payment by credit card Case and client management Contact management Libraries: Files, Forms, Legal Research

30 Part Three: Ethical Issues Choosing the Technology and Researching the Provider The Attorney s Daily Use of the Technology to Deliver Legal Services Online

31 Research the SaaS Provider & Review the SLA Data return and retention policies Transferring Data/Compatibility Issues Backups Export features and/or offline versions of the software Third-party hosting Server locations and geo-redundancy Response time/customer service and tech support Infrastructure to support growth Costs Subscriptions, what is included

32 Research the SaaS Provider & Review the SLA Confidentiality of law office data Who has access? Government and civil search and seizure actions Breach of confidentiality unlimited liability for data breaches? NC RPC Rule 1.6(a), "Confidentiality of Information Comment 17 provides that lawyers must act competently to safeguard confidential information and prevent it from going to unintended recipients during the transmission.

33 For Guidance PA FEO (2010) Proposed NC FEO 7 (2010) CA FEO (December 2010) elawyering Task Force Guidelines (2011) Legal Cloud Computing Association (LCCA) ILTSO (April 2011)

34 Ethics Considerations UPL Multijurisdictional virtual law firms NC RPC, Rule 5.5, regarding UPL and multijurisdictional law practice. Establishing the Online Attorney/Client Relationship NC RPC Rule 1.18, Duties To Prospective Client Defining the Scope of Online Representation Conflict of Interest Conflict of Laws

35 Ethics Considerations (cont) Authentication of Online Client s Identity Competency Confidentiality of Client Data Safeguarding Client Property Online storage and retention of client data Using Internet Tools to Build an Online Client Base NC RPC, Rules of Professional Conduct regarding advertising of legal services Online Payments Trust Accounting & IOLTA Compliance

36 NC Ethics Opinions 2000 FEO 3 - A lawyer may respond to an inquiry posted on a web page message board provided there are certain disclosures FEO 14 - URL for a law firm website does not have to include words that identify the site as belonging to a law firm provided the URL is not otherwise misleading FEO 10 - Addresses ethical concerns raised by an internet-based or virtual law practice and the provision of unbundled legal services. Proposed 2010 FEO 7 Cloud computing in law practice

37 Part Four Best Practices Minimize risk Daily best practices Virtual paralegals/assistants When marketing a virtual law office o Create a Policy o Educate your clients Obtaining malpractice insurance

38 Minimize Risk It is the responsibility of the attorney operating a virtual law office to do the following: Make the determination on a case by case basis: o Can I competently handle this legal matter online or does it require in-person representation? Understand the technology and the security risks Implement daily best practices for use of the technology Many of the risks are similar to the ethics and malpractice risks seen in a traditional law practice. However, here the risks may be decreased through the use of the checks and processes built into the technology.

39 Daily Best Practices Keep up to date on the security issues. Designate an attorney at the firm responsible for this. Create a law firm policy covering the best practices for use of cloud computing applications by firm members, including a social media policy. If you use wireless networking, ensure that all wireless traffic is encrypted with WPA2. Keep antivirus software and all software patches updated. Turn on the software firewall for the computer.

40 Daily Best Practices (cont) Use a safer browser, such as Mozilla with the NoScript add-on installed, or use another pop-up blocker. Avoid free Wi-Fi hotspots when using any cloud computing application remotely. Use a cellular phone modem adapter instead. Never write down usernames and passwords. Create strong passwords and change them regularly.

41 Virtual Paralegals/Assistants Keep digital records of instructions to VA Compliance with Professional Conduct Rule 5.3 Management of Non-lawyer assistants Nondisclosure and security issues

42 When Marketing Virtual law offices rely on less traditional methods of advertising. Your website is often your front door. NC RPC Rules Online Social Networking & Using Social Media Public vs Law-related Why the distinction? Varying degrees of security, privacy & malpractice risks based on the intended users. Create a Policy. Consider assigning a single attorney in the firm with the responsibility of monitoring and being active on behalf of the firm within different online applications. Monitor your online presence on a regular basis. Run searches on Google Alerts and TweetDeck.

43 Educate Your Clients If you use any form of social networking, expect to run into your clients online. Let them know your policy towards social media from the beginning of your relationship. Ex: that you will not friend or follow clients Explain the risks and importance of protecting the confidentiality of their information. Teach restraint in posting information online related to their legal matters.

44 Obtaining Malpractice Insurance Be prepared to educate Ask about discounts for use of technology Read through the exclusions Consider total loss based on structure of practice Firm or partnerships coverage Hardware What may not be covered

45 Future innovations in the delivery of legal services will include more applications to allow the public to directly interact with their attorney online. Where are you? How will your firm integrate virtual law practice into practice management? Will you unbundle legal services online? Will you provide secure online client access for in-person clients? Will you cultivate an entirely online client base?

46 Other Resources ABA ELawyering Task Force ABA Unbundling Resource Center ml Virtual Law Practice: How to Deliver Legal Services Online (ABA/LPM book), by Stephanie Kimbro

47 Contact Me Stephanie Kimbro Attorney, Kimbro Legal Services Technology Consultant, Total Attorneys Virtual Law Practice Blog: BOOK: Virtual Law Practice: How to Deliver Legal Services Online, ABA/LPM (2010)