A Virtual Attorney in a Changing World

What is a Virtual Lawyer?

As I write this I am at a legal technology conference in San Diego with the speaker proclaiming the virtues of virtual lawyers and virtual law firms.

As a traditionally trained lawyer, the concept of “virtual” law was at first daunting for me. “Virtual” sounds like a lawyer existing on a Star Trek holodeck. What I discovered was much different, but we need to first define virtual law.

We live in a world that is leveraging technology at an increasingly rapid pace. I remember as a young lawyer marveling at the IBM Selectric’s ability to backspace and erase what I had just typed. It seems like yesterday, but technologically, it was in the Stone Age.

Simply put, a virtual lawyer is a lawyer who is able to use technology to efficiently and economically provide services to the client. As technology changes, legal services need to become more efficient and economical for the client.

If you think about it, lawyers have been using technology to serve clients virtually (not face to face in a law office) for about a hundred years through the telephone. Most of my conferences with clients are not in person, they a phone calls.

But phone calls are only one way of attorneys and clients communicate. For instance, most of our correspondence with clients is by email. This is much quicker than regular mail in communicating and allows us to send documents instantly.

An emerging use of technology that many of our clients enjoy video conferences. The internet has made voice and video conferencing more and more seamless. In this field, the legal profession is following the medical profession. Rural hospitals now have instant communication via video conference with specialists. If you or a loved one has a heart attack or stroke, expert advice can be at your bedside in minutes.

But the most important thing to remember is the personal touch that is the heart of any good attorney-client relationship. At White Law Office, we pledge to continue to leverage technology while maintaining the personal touch with our clients.

If you would like to experience this small town approach with top notch talent, we would love to talk with you.

Thomas D. White

Senior Partner