One of the best strategies you can use to grow your legal practice is to provide your services remotely. Working remotely as a lawyer has been made possible by high-speed internet, cloud computing, and secure communication platforms that let you work seamlessly from anywhere – including home.
This trend is good for clients too, allowing people in more sparsely populated areas to have greater access to quality legal services from professionals like you. Today’s online tools and systems can help both you and your clients save time, reduce costs, and collaborate from anywhere in the state or states where you are licensed.
Ever dream of moving to a more rural area so you can enjoy the small-town lifestyle while continuing to earn big-city income? The time for that has never been better.
If you want to experience this kind of flexibility in your own legal practice, read this article to learn what kind of cases are best suited for remote legal practice and how to market yourself and your firm so you can bring in more remote clients.
Benefits of Remote Legal Work
Many potential clients who are looking for legal services in their area don’t yet realize that for most kinds of cases, they can work with any attorney certified by the bar in their state. For clients who have cases with no court appearances, often everything can be handled through digital signatures, email, Zoom, and the telephone.
This new way of working can save clients money, because they can shop around and choose any attorney in their state. It also gives you the opportunity to consider entirely new lifestyle options, such as living in a more affordable area of your state while serving clients throughout your state. And if you’re bar certified in more than one state, you can greatly expand your geographic area through remote legal work as well.
Cases That Cannot Be Handled Remotely
While the list of cases that can be handled remotely continues to expand, there are some limitations to remote practice. Most importantly, those cases that require physical presence for court appearances can’t be handled remotely.
Even if remote proceedings are sometimes allowed, as happened during the Covid-19 pandemic, it may not be a good idea. Studies show that remote proceedings can interfere with the attorney-client relationship, affect perceptions of witness credibility, allow participants to disengage from the process, and ultimately change the outcome of a case.
The bottom line is, certain kinds of cases (especially criminal defense, personal injury, immigration) still require your physical presence.
Cases That Are Well-Suited for Remote Legal Practice
If you want to build and grow a remote legal practice, here is an overview of the kinds of cases you could specialize in:
Document Review and Legal Research
Document-heavy cases such as contract reviews, legal research, and intellectual property searches are prime candidates for remote work. You can efficiently access, review, and collaborate on documents using digital tools and platforms, making this type of work ideal for part of your remote practice.
Family Law and Mediation
Family law cases, including divorce, child custody, and spousal support, often involve negotiations and mediation sessions. These processes can be conducted through video conferencing, allowing you and your clients to participate from the comfort of your homes while still ensuring a structured and professional environment.
Intellectual Property Law
If you’re an intellectual property lawyer you probably spend a significant amount of time conducting trademark searches, handling patent applications, and working through copyright registrations. These tasks are well-suited for remote work, as they primarily involve paperwork and legal documentation.
Real Estate Law
Real estate transactions frequently require the review and preparation of contracts, title searches, and negotiations. Thanks to digital platforms, you can efficiently manage these aspects of real estate law from a remote location.
Environmental Law Compliance
Legal procedures that involve compliance with environmental laws, whether that addresses the public or private sector, is another area that works well through remote means. Securing permits to operate a business that may affect the health of the local population, for example, can be handled online, as can documentary requirements for testing byproducts of manufacturing companies.
Tax Law Cases
Cases involving tax laws, such as advising clients on tax regulations and requirements, are frequently handled remotely. There are generally no in-person requirements in these cases, and video conferencing can be used to handle anything that requires interaction beyond phone calls or email.
Stock Exchange and Security Issues
If you specialize in securities, or work with them as one of your main practice areas, you can tackle stock exchange and related issues remotely. Most of the time there’s no need for in-person consultation or appearances in these types of legal matters.
Civil Law Cases
Most of the cases handled remotely in this area of law address job security and wage disputes, breaches of contracts, and defamation. These can all be settled through online and video interactions, making it easy for you to work remotely and still provide strong value to your clients.
Corporate Cases
Business interests, property management and investment, and addressing customer complaints are all relatively easy to handle remotely. If you focus your efforts in these areas you can choose remote work without fear of losing out on a strong client base.
Legality and Ethics in Remote Legal Practice
While remote legal practice is generally allowed throughout the United States, there may be specific laws and regulations in certain jurisdictions. You’ll also need to use secure tools and software for communication, keeping client information safe, and getting informed consent for remote representation. Be sure to consult your local bar association to make sure you meet all requirements.
Logistics of Remote Legal Practice
To run a remote legal practice you’ll need a reliable computer with fast internet connection as well as secure tools and software for communication, document management, and research.
You’ll want to build a virtual law office that serves as an introductory foundation and encourages clients to contact you. This means setting up a professional and secure online presence through your website and social media profiles as well as developing a robust online case management system that gives clients secure access to documents and case updates.
Regular video conferences, phone calls, and email updates help maintain strong attorney-client relationships, giving your clients more confidence in you and your abilities. To provide efficient and effective remote communication, you’ll need online tools that are secure, user-friendly, and accessible to your clients.
Many courts now accept remote appearances for some hearings and mediation sessions, so you’ll want to stay updated on rules and procedures in your state. You’ll also want to invest in marketing so clients can find you and learn about your services, and we’ll share more about that a little further down in this article.
Because running a remote legal practice requires careful planning and effective utilization of technology to ensure seamless operations, you’ll want to make sure you have everything you need before you get started.
Set up Your Main Infrastructure and Technology
The basic infrastructure of your remote setup is the place to start. To develop a solid base that will help you work from anywhere more easily, you might choose cloud-based solutions. For example, cloud-based legal practice management software like Clio allows you to store and manage case files securely.
You might also use a virtual private network (VPN) to ensure a secure connection for remote access to confidential client information. That way your clients will feel more confident about who’s accessing their information.
Decide on Your Communication Tools
A lot of your client-based interactions can be handled over video. For video conferencing, you might use platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. These tools can make virtual meetings with clients, colleagues, and even court appearances much more convenient.
You might also implement encrypted email services to protect sensitive client communications or use services if you want to enhance email security.
Choose a Document Management Platform
Managing and storing documents effectively is much easier with a document sharing platform. When you implement tools like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for collaborative document creation and sharing, you can help ensure version control as well as document security.
You can use platforms like DocuSign or Adobe Sign for secure and legally binding electronic signatures.
Create Convenience for Client Management
To be effective at working remotely, you need a secure portal where clients can access documents and engage with you. Consider developing a digital process for client onboarding, so you can gather necessary client information and documents more efficiently.
Plan for Time-Tracking and Billing
Time-tracking tools are another important aspect of your remote legal practice, as they help ensure that clients will be properly billed. To monitor billable hours accurately, you might invest in time-tracking software.
You can also invoice your clients online, which will further streamline billing processes. Consider platforms like FreshBooks or QuickBooks Online, because they’re easy to use and effective.
Don’t Skimp on Cybersecurity
Firewalls and antivirus software are both essential aspects of a remote legal practice. You should install strong cybersecurity measures, including solid firewalls and updated antivirus software, to protect against potential cyber threats.
If you have any employees working for you, make sure you take the time to educate them on cybersecurity best practices to minimize the risk of data breaches. That protects you more fully, and also keeps your clients and their private information safer.
Choose Your Legal Research Options and Resources
Subscribe to reputable online legal research databases such as Westlaw or LexisNexis for comprehensive legal research. This will help you find the information you need quickly and efficiently, no matter what type of case you’re working on.
You might also create a virtual law library accessible to all team members for quick reference, especially if you plan to expand your remote legal practice in the future.
Select Good-Quality Collaboration Tools
Project management software helps you collaborate with employees, colleagues, and others in a way that’s efficient and can help keep cases moving forward. Consider using project management tools like Asana or Trello to coordinate tasks and deadlines among team members.
There are also platforms for collaborative note-taking, such as Microsoft OneNote or Evernote, which can make virtual meetings much more efficient.
Get Clear on Your Remote Work Policies
For yourself and any employees it can be helpful to establish clear remote work policies covering expectations, communication norms, and data security protocols. Be sure to consider the unique needs and regulatory requirements of the legal profession. Clearly define eligibility criteria, expectations for billable hours and client communication, and secure data handling protocols in line with attorney-client privilege and data protection laws.
You’ll also want to specify the use of secure virtual meeting platforms and encryption tools, address legal research resources, and stipulate how time tracking and client billing will be managed remotely. Even informal training sessions can help ensure that all team members are proficient in using remote tools and following established procedures.
Finally, add a note to your calendar to regularly review and update your policies for compliance with legal ethics and changing regulations. Data protection compliance is a huge part of your remote legal practice, and it has to be taken very seriously. You’ll want to ensure compliance with data protection regulations, for example HIPAA, depending on your jurisdiction and the nature of your practice.
Marketing Your Remote Legal Practice
In order to succeed with a remote legal practice, you need to do more than specialize in a legal category that allows for remote work. You also need to reach clients who are searching for legal help online and have a system for generating new client leads. You can do online marketing for yourself, hire a marketing agency, or work with a lead-generation service that sends you a steady stream of remote legal clients.
Do-It-Yourself Marketing
If you elect to market yourself, you will need an overall strategy and implementation plan that includes some or all of the following:
- Website
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Online directories and review sites
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
- Search advertising
- Social media marketing
Your law school may have taught you how to get a job at a law firm, but they most likely provided little or no training related to consumer behavior, branding, marketing, advertising, or social media. Which is a big problem because ineffective or nonexistent legal marketing wastes your time, loses you money, and can negatively affect your law firm’s reputation.
For all these reasons, you might decide to outsource marketing so you can focus on what you do best – lawyering.
Outsourced Marketing
You might be tempted to think of marketing as an expense, and run the risk of tightening your marketing budget. But really, marketing is an investment that helps you gain more clients so you can bring in more money. So consider allocating even more time, effort, and funds to marketing. When you do, here are some of the returns you can enjoy:
- Attract new potential clients for new business and increased revenue including high-value cases and long-term relationships.
- Make your law firm’s brand more recognizable and reputable to attract clients more effectively and allow you to command higher rates for your services.
- Improve client retention, strengthen client relationships, and encourage repeat business.
- Distinguish your firm from competitors in a way that makes you the go-to choice for the types of cases or clients you prefer.
- Enhance your visibility and reputation to increase high-quality referrals from other attorneys, professionals, and satisfied clients.
- Promote long-term growth and sustainability of your law firm.
Hiring a marketing agency can be pricey, and it may take time to build trust and support. It also gives you less control over your marketing strategy and execution.
If you decide to outsource your marketing by hiring an agency, be sure to consider the services they offer, their experience working with lawyers and law firms, their reputation as well as cost, and their fit with your professional brand and working style.
Lead-Generation Services
Lead generation services specialize in helping other businesses find potential customers or clients by identifying and collecting information about individuals or companies that have shown interest in a specific product, service, or industry. These leads are then passed on to those who then have the opportunity to convert them into actual customers.
Legal lead generation is provided by several widely recognized names, including Lawyers.com, Avvo, AllLaw, Nolo, Martindale and LegalMatch. Of these, only LegalMatch provides an unlimited number of qualified leads in real time without you having to pay for each lead.
Putting LegalMatch to Work for You
Every month, LegalMatch receives nearly a million visitors looking for help with their legal issues. This allows us to deliver a steady flow of case leads so our member attorneys can leapfrog past the DIY marketing and get straight to assessing case viability. In other words, we build the pipeline for you.
On a weekly basis, I’d say I get a good 25 leads. I wind up having a consultation with at least half of them, if not more depending on how responsive I can be. On average I’d say I can get up to five new clients a week. Miguel T., Real Estate, Housing & Property Law Attorney, Brooklyn, NY
Each of the clients I get from LegalMatch has provided greater value than any of the other legal ad services. David B., Wills, Trusts, and Estate Law Attorney, Manchester, MO
For lawyers who want to work remotely, LegalMatch membership can be a real game-changer. We are the only lead generation service in the industry providing unlimited leads in real time without the need to pay-per-lead. We also gather more case-specific information than our competitors, allowing you to efficiently identify the highest-quality leads for your area of practice and legal specialty.
In general, the leads that I get from LegalMatch are actually of higher quality than those I used to get in the past from other services. The leads here are people who are really in need of legal services than just somebody asking questions or looking for pro bono services. Noah G., Criminal Defense Attorney, Warminster, PA
With LegalMatch, you also get a dedicated account manager to answer all your questions and provide training on best practices and insights, as well as a private dashboard with user-friendly features such as at-a-glance case details, online scheduling, proven response templates for your to customize, and a mobile app to support real-time “new case lead” notifications and response capabilities even when you’re away from your desk.
What I like best about LegalMatch is its timeliness. I get timely notifications when there are new cases, when the client reads the response, or the client wants to set up a consultation. This helps me send fast responses as well. Mitchell M., Family Law Attorney, Marlton, NJ
As an attorney, remote work means you can serve more clients across the state or states where you are licensed. As a LegalMatch member attorney, you can build a remote practice much more quickly than if you had to find each client lead on your own. Imagine how your remote practice can grow and thrive with access to such a steady stream of new potential clients actively seeking legal help.
LegalMatch offers a new attorney a wide variety of choices that he can get leads from. It also offers him as wide a geographical area to work with as they want…I usually work in the fifth judicial district, which is a long drive to the courthouse, because we’re in rural New Mexico. The drive to the courthouse is three hours. Some firms have ad billboards or a satellite office. They spend a lot of money to have a bigger presence in their community. I get more cases from LegalMatch without all of that. Freda M., General Practice Attorney, Ruidoso, NM
If you’re ready to put the high-speed internet, cloud computing, and secure communication platforms to work for you and build a remote practice that lets you work from anywhere, schedule a demo to learn more about how LegalMatch can support your mission.
