In 1996, Anastacia Brice made a phone call with Thomas Leonard – a conversation they shared was then described as “virtual assistance”. Anastacia used the term for a new rising career where one works from home for an international client, she founded the first virtual assistant company in 1997 called “AssistU”.
Virtual assistants can complete a variety of tasks and turn them over by the end of the day which contributes to more accomplished deliverables for the firm. VAs know how to work around technical issues, and are expected to be equipped with dual monitors for efficiency, backup internet, computer, and power sources to avoid downtime and increase productivity.
Virtual assistants are proficient in handling routine and time-consuming tasks like sorting emails, renaming files, chasing leads, and following up with clients and third-party (provider, insurance, co-counsel, or court) for any needed documents and information. They can multitask in between waiting time and long holds to achieve fewer to no idle hours.
Why work with Legal Support Help’s Virtual Assistants
- Time Management – Virtual assistants use time tracking tools such as Hubstaff to keep an eye on hours particularly spent which helps them manage their schedule handling different tasks.
- Workload Management – VAs adapts the concept of The Eisenhower Matrix which helps them prioritize and organize tasks by urgency and importance. In addition, to keep track of their progress and pending deliverables – they have end-of-day reports and monitoring sheets.
- Skill set – VAs are selected based on their foundational skills, and they are honed through basic legal 101, internship in a law firm, and upskilling for advanced learning which prepares them for diverse roles.
- Continuous Improvement – VAs learn from experienced coaches and colleagues through regular check-ins and meetings where they gain insights, lessons, and best practices that they can apply and use to help their clients.
