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At Virtual Law Firm, Ex-DLA Partner Expects to Work Less, Earn More

Posted Mar 9, 2009 5:10 AM CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

While many of the nation’s traditional large law firms are shedding lawyers, one startup is adding three partners a month.

The Virtual Law Firm had only eight partners when it was formed last year, but it now has 33, the Washington Post reports. Lawyers at the law firm work at home, meeting with clients with the help of the Internet and video conferencing. Lawyers keep 85 percent of their billings.

The Post features one of the Virtual Law Firm’s new partners, Geoff Willard, a Reston, Va., lawyer who was a partner at DLA Piper. His decision to switch jobs “illustrates how the Wal-Mart effect of discounting is playing out in the Washington region's legal community,” the story says.

Willard told the newspaper he kept 90 percent of his clients from DLA, and he now has the ability to work less and earn more money. He worked 60 to 85 hours a week at DLA, but puts in only 40 to 50 hours a week at the Virtual Law Firm.

He said he was tired of the traditional law practice model that emphasized annual increases in billing rates and more billable hours.

"Everyone realizes the big law firm model is broken," Willard told the Post. "When you tell people, 'I'm going to drop my rates 25 percent,' it's a pretty easy decision" for them to hire you, he said.

Comments

1.

tom
Mar 9, 2009 5:56 AM CST

The race to India prices for legal services has begun.  Wake me up when we are billing at $100 an hour.

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2.

B. McLeod
Mar 9, 2009 6:11 AM CST

Hell no.  If you weren’t trying to work 85 hours a week, you wouldn’t be billing in your sleep to begin with.

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3.

Virtual Law Practice
Mar 9, 2009 9:07 AM CST

Blog post on this topic posted to Virtual Law Practice blog: http://virtuallawpractice.org/   

BigLaw Attorneys Take to Virtual Law Practice

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4.

Debra Veoli
Mar 13, 2009 4:18 AM CST

I wanted to work from home, but my firm would not let me.  They know I would be watching OPRAH and doing my laundry, taxes and everything else BUT working. 

Who wants to work in India?  Is that virtual lawyering?

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5.

RJP11
Mar 13, 2009 6:54 AM CST

Slumdog Lawyionaire!

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6.

George Lenard
Mar 13, 2009 7:55 AM CST

You have a problem with $100 per hour, keeping 85%, grossing easily $150,000+, go find another career.  Most Americans, especially these days, not to mention Indians, think that sounds pretty darn sweet ...

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7.

government lawyer
Mar 13, 2009 8:00 AM CST

#4 - that just means you are not a good candidate for working at home.  I work at home one day a week, and yes the TV is on, and I may do a few loads of laundry, BUT I do in fact work and often times get a lot more done, than I do when I am in the office. All the “negatives” you list really are no different than the million smoke breaks smokers take, or the candy machine and Starbuck runs that people make when they are in the office.  What I don’t get at home is the constant interruption from my coworkers who walk by my office and decide to come in for a quick chat.
I think Virtual Law Practice is a good idea - why not? Everything else is going that way…heck, based on some of the shootings at this school it sure does seem safer to go to school on-line these days instead of in class.

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8.

2L in Arizona
Mar 13, 2009 10:03 AM CST

Does anyone know how I can contact this firm.  I am looking for a job where I don’t have to move.  I already have Skype and Gmail chat/video, so I am ready to start teleconferencing.  As a 2L, I am looking for a job for this summer that will lead to employment after work.  This sounds perfect.  Plus, I am so good at teleconferencing already that my 2 year old won’t talk on the phone because she can’t see anyone on the computer.  I didn’t think I was that old, but I am a little shocked.

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9.

Bled
Mar 13, 2009 10:14 AM CST

I’d take that job, but I need to keep working at big aw to cover my alimony payments so my ex can sit on her butt and watch Oprah all day instead of working for a living.

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10.

Doug
Mar 13, 2009 12:02 PM CST

All this talk about India is completely misleading.  In order lawyer for a client, you have to be a member of the bar in the jurisdiction your client is in, don’t you?  So, this means that unless a person from India graduated from an American Law school and passed the bar in at least one US jurisdiction, they can not practice law for a US client via the internet.

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11.

CritiasLex
Mar 13, 2009 3:23 PM CST

#10

Consider “Foreign Legal Consultant” expert in law of India, specially licensed in a U.S. state to advise clients on India law.

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12.

Stearns
Mar 15, 2009 12:19 PM CST

I have what I hope is a legitimate question, what benefit does the Virtual Law Firm give you?  If you are working from home, why don’t you just go out on your own.
I am a complete believer in the concept of the “virtual” law firm and have been working from home/telecommunting for the past 3 years and basically feel that I’ve been involved in the “virtual” firm concept. I have recently gone out on my own (IP attorney) and have been working from home which has allowed me to charge lower fees due to reduced overhead.  I don’t understand how joining up with the “Virtual Law Firm” adds to your practice, why not just go solo from home?? I’m interested in your thoughts.

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