VLP Partners Mark Taylor and Lisa Stone Featured in Washington Lawyer Article “Making the Virtual Leap”
Posted on Jan 3, 2017 in News by VLP Law Group
VLP Partners Mark Taylor and Lisa Stone were featured in the Washington Lawyer article “Making the Virtual Leap.” The article examined the growing trend of virtual law practices, noting that virtual law firms can be both cheaper for clients and more efficient for attorney partners. Websites, conferencing systems, mobile technologies, and document management tools to serve clients are ubiquitous these days, and they allow for confidentiality and productivity in equal measures.
The article noted that the virtual law firm would not have been possible a decade ago. The technology didn’t exist and public attitudes, especially those of clients, would not have accepted the idea that attorneys could successfully serve their clients from the comfort of their homes. Today, that notion seems quaint, and has been replaced with the realization that the law can be delivered virtually — and effectively — almost anywhere.
Mr. Taylor, like most VLP attorneys, operates entirely from his home. He travels to Washington and other cities when he needs to, but he files paperwork with courts, connects with clients, and researches the finer points of bankruptcy law from his virtual perch at his home in the mountains.
“Sitting in my office 70 miles west of D.C. in the Blue Ridge and looking out over the Shenandoah Valley, my commute most mornings is down to my coffee pot to get coffee for my wife and me,” Mr. Taylor told Washington Lawyer. “I am perfectly able to serve my clients’ needs from here. Technology makes this possible, and I can get my hourly rate back to a reasonable level for my clients.”
The article also noted that most e-lawyers say their clients don’t care much about where their offices are located and are more concerned with being able to reach a lawyer whenever they need advice. The emphasis is on the quality of service and not the quantity of lawyers or square footage of an office.
Lisa Stone said, “I see people all the time because I travel and visit my clients. For years my clients haven’t focused on the model of my law firm. To them, I’m just another outside counsel like any other law firm, only I’m the one that is more flexible and available to meet their needs.”
This article is available online by subscription only. Click here to access the DC Bar website.
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