The State of Legal Work
The way lawyers, paralegals and legal professionals work is changing with the emergence of new ways to work like telecommuting and outsourcing.
  • Outsourcing
  • paralegals
  • legal
  • tech
Meredith Boe
Published on Mar 13, 2020

 

The state of legal work is changing. Modern attorneys need to keep up with trends like telecommuting and outsourcing, diversity, flexibility and cost-cutting to stay competitive and provide employees with the benefits they really want from a workplace.

 

Telecommuting

Virtual working arrangements are becoming more popular across industries, and legal is no exception. According to the 2019 ABA Tech Report, over half of legal professionals now telecommute (55%).

 

 

Telecommuting helps employees better manage their work-life balance, and is especially beneficial for working parents and those with more non-traditional requirements for work.

 

Allowing remote work or flexible scheduling also gives law firms a competitive advantage when trying to find top talent. Modern workers want more flexibility, so you open up your recruiting pool when you can offer these benefits.

 

Promoting diversity and inclusivity

Remote work arrangements promote diversity in law firms. For example, working mothers need flexibility, and often can’t make the standard nine-to-five schedule work for their families and related obligations.

 

Remote work is closing the gender gap since mothers can return to work faster, as well as opening more doors in the legal world for those with special circumstances. Flexible scheduling helps new parents get back into the workforce after their kids start school, in addition to assisting those who have to care for sick or aging parents on a regular basis.

 

Flexibility gives all types of employees the chance to succeed in the legal world, opening up many opportunities to diversify legal teams and promote more inclusive environments overall.

 

 

Cutting costs

By hiring contract paralegals or remote employees, law firms can cut costs on things like real estate and commuting costs, since fewer workers will be coming into the office. And, instead of hiring an in-house employee, lawyers can hire virtual paralegals to provide assistance and prepare casework only when needed.

 

This helps you cut back on costs such as:

  • Full-time employees who aren’t needed on a full-time basis
  • Extra benefits that full-time employees require
  • High turnover seen in many legal environments

 

Paralegal as a Service from NextChapter is helping both attorneys and paralegals who need flexibility. Your law firm can get the help you need in a cost-efficient way by hiring our on-demand virtual paralegals, who tailor their services to your specific needs. And, paralegals are able to retain their flexibility and remote work location to improve their work-life balance.

 

NextChapter’s Paralegal as a Service offering provides a host of benefits to practices of any size, regardless of location. Our virtual paralegal team is ready to assist you with all legal casework in any practice area and jurisdiction.