A partner billing $350/hour spends 90 minutes daily on admin tasks. That's $52,500 yearly in lost billable time.
For solo lawyers and small firms, this gap represents real money. Revenue you earned but never collected—because paperwork got in the way.
The 2023 Clio Legal Trends Report confirms what lawyers already know: attorneys bill just 2.5 hours daily. Admin consumes the rest.
Legal VAs change this math. They handle the paperwork while you practice law.
Key Takeaways
- Attorneys bill just 2.5 hours daily—admin takes the rest
- Legal VAs cost 40-60% less than in-house staff
- Key tasks: documents, calendaring, billing, client intake
- Bar rules require supervision and confidentiality protocols
What Legal VAs Do
A legal VA is a remote professional trained in legal admin support. They combine paralegal skills with virtual work experience.
These aren't general assistants learning on the job. Legal VAs know the difference between a motion to compel and a motion for summary judgment. They format citations correctly. They understand court deadlines matter.
Legal VAs typically come from three backgrounds:
Trained paralegals who shifted to remote work. They bring deep knowledge of procedures and terminology.
Legal admin specialists with years of law firm experience in specific functions like billing or scheduling.
VA professionals who completed legal training programs and worked with multiple practices.
Professional VA services match firms with legal VAs who've been vetted for legal industry skills. No training generalists from scratch.
Core Benefits for Law Firms
Major Cost Savings
The numbers are clear. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, median pay for legal secretaries is $55,940 yearly. Add benefits, taxes, and overhead. You're at $65,000-85,000 total.
A legal VA provides similar support at 40-60% lower cost. No office space. No equipment. No benefits package.
Flexible Scaling
Legal work fluctuates. Trial prep demands more support. Slow months need less.
VAs flex with your workload. Add hours during crunch times. Reduce during lighter periods. No hiring and firing cycles.
Instant Expertise
Training a new secretary on Clio or PracticePanther takes 4-8 weeks. Legal VAs from good providers arrive trained. They've worked with other firms. They understand legal workflows.
Focus on High-Value Work
With admin handled, you focus fully on legal strategy and client work. No more juggling case prep with calendar management. The cognitive load drops. Your effectiveness rises. See our complete list of tasks to outsource to virtual assistants.
Tasks Legal VAs Handle
Document Preparation
Legal VAs prepare standard documents:
- Pleadings and motions
- Correspondence and cover letters
- Contracts from templates
- Properly formatted court filings
- Exhibit packages
They understand that formatting errors in court filings cause problems. Precision matters.
Calendar and Deadline Management
Missed deadlines mean malpractice claims. Legal VAs provide rigorous tracking:
- Court deadline monitoring
- Statute of limitations tracking
- Appointment scheduling
- Automatic deadline reminders
- Conflict checking
Many integrate directly with your practice management software. Redundant safeguards prevent missed dates.
Client Intake and Communications
First impressions set the tone for client relationships. VAs handle:
- Intake questionnaires and screening
- Document collection
- Appointment coordination
- Status updates and follow-ups
- Routing urgent matters to attorneys
Trained legal VAs know which issues need immediate attorney attention.
Billing and Time Entry
Legal billing needs precision. VAs streamline this critical function:
- Time entry review and cleanup
- Invoice preparation
- Payment processing
- Accounts receivable tracking
- Collection follow-up
Many firms see billing cycles improve from 45-60 days to 15-30 days with dedicated billing support. A bookkeeping virtual assistant can handle these financial tasks.
E-Filing and Court Coordination
Most courts now require electronic filing. Legal VAs manage:
- E-filing submissions
- Court rules compliance
- Filing receipt monitoring
- Docket tracking
Experienced VAs know PACER, Odyssey File & Serve, and other platforms. No learning curve for your practice.
Software They Should Know
Verify proficiency in your platforms before hiring.
Practice Management
- Clio (most common)
- MyCase
- PracticePanther
- Smokeball
- CosmoLex
Professional services ensure legal VAs have multi-platform training. Quick adaptation to your system.
Document Management
- NetDocuments
- iManage
- HotDocs
- Advanced Word features for legal docs
Legal Research
- Westlaw
- LexisNexis
- Fastcase
- PACER for federal courts
Time and Billing
- Clio/MyCase integrated billing
- TimeSolv
- Bill4Time
- LawPay for payments
Compliance and Confidentiality
Legal work involves privileged communications. VAs must operate within ethical boundaries.
Protecting Privilege
Your VA will access privileged materials. Establish clear protocols:
- Comprehensive NDAs before access
- Training on privilege concepts
- Clear rules on external communications
- Metadata awareness and handling
Professional legal VA services implement these protocols systematically. Find reputable providers through our best VA marketplace guide.
Bar Ethics Rules
ABA Model Rule 5.3 requires lawyers to supervise nonlawyer assistants competently. This means:
- Clear confidentiality safeguards
- Defined boundaries—VAs can't give legal advice
- Adequate supervision and review
- Training on ethical requirements
Data Security
Protect client data with:
- 256-bit AES encryption minimum
- VPN for remote system access
- Role-based access controls
- Current antivirus and firewalls
- Regular encrypted backups
HIPAA for Health Law
Medical malpractice and health law practices handle protected health information. Per HHS.gov guidance, VAs need:
- Signed Business Associate Agreements
- HIPAA training completion
- Compliant technology only
Cost Comparison
Let's look at real scenarios.
Solo Practitioner
Part-time in-house secretary (20 hrs/week):
- Wages: $22,880
- Payroll taxes: $1,750
- Workers' comp: $450
- Office space: $3,000
- Equipment: $1,200
- Training time: $4,000
- Total: ~$33,280
Legal VA (20 hrs/week at $30/hr):
- Total: $31,200 with no overhead
Savings: $2,080 plus flexibility and instant expertise. Learn more in our VA vs employee comparison.
Small Firm (3-5 Attorneys)
Full-time in-house secretary:
- Salary: $52,000
- Benefits: $15,600
- Taxes: $3,978
- Space and equipment: $6,200
- Training: $3,500
- Total: ~$81,278
Legal VA (40 hrs/week at $32/hr):
- Total: $66,560 with no overhead
Savings: $14,718 yearly (18%) with greater flexibility.
Billable Hour Recovery
The bigger win is recovered billable time.
A partner at $350/hour spending 90 minutes daily on admin:
- Annual admin time: 345 hours
- Potential billable value: $120,750
- Legal VA cost: $33,280
- Net gain: $87,470 if 75% converts to billable work
Even at 50% conversion, ROI far exceeds the investment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a legal VA cost?
Legal VAs typically charge $25-45/hour depending on experience. This runs 40-60% less than in-house staff when you add salary, benefits, taxes, and overhead. Most firms start with 15-25 hours weekly and adjust based on need. Our virtual assistant cost savings guide shows detailed ROI calculations.
Do legal VAs need paralegal certification?
Not always. Many excellent legal VAs have extensive law firm experience without formal credentials. The key is verifying practical experience with legal terminology, software, and procedures. Request work samples and check references with other attorneys.
How do legal VAs protect client confidentiality?
Professional services implement comprehensive protocols: signed NDAs, encryption for all data, VPN connections, role-based access, and privilege training. Per ABA Model Rule 5.3, attorneys remain responsible for supervision. Work with providers who take confidentiality seriously. Follow our VA communication tips to maintain secure practices.
Can legal VAs handle trust accounting?
Only with close supervision and limited access. Best practice: view-only permissions or specific approved transactions with dual controls requiring attorney sign-off. Trust accounts need direct attorney oversight to comply with bar rules.
Getting Started
Legal VAs represent one of the highest-ROI investments for law practices. You reclaim billable hours while cutting admin costs.
Specialized VA agencies match firms with trained legal VAs. Quality programs include security protocols, multi-platform skills, and dedicated account management.
This week: Track your admin time. Calculate the billable value you're losing.
Next week: Define which tasks to delegate first. Documents? Calendar? Billing?
This month: Connect with professional legal VA services. Get matched with qualified support. Learn how in our guide to scaling your business with virtual assistants.
Your expertise is practicing law. Let dedicated professionals handle everything else.
How many more billable hours could you capture?
Related Reading:
- VA Cost Savings Guide - Full ROI calculations
- Tasks to Outsource - Beyond legal tasks
- VA Communication Tips - Effective remote collaboration