Sort of Legal

As many of you know, I am a remote attorney.  I run a small law firm, Bold City Legal, PA, remotely from a comically small studio apartment in Encinitas, California (San Diego area) and coffee shops  and co-working spaces anywhere I can find them (which is everywhere).

As much of the non-retail world has been winding down for the holidays, I’ve been ramping up my work on the business side of my practice with a particular focus on smoothing out processes and automating as much as possible.

As I work towards these goals, I’m changing up a few of the digital tools I use to run my practice.  Here are some of my recent changes.

TIME TRACKING & INVOICING
Old Service:    Freshbooks
New Service: Clio (click for free trial!)
Comments:  It took me a long time to make this jump because…well, I LOVE FreshBooks and I still highly recommend it to freelancers and small businesses outside of the legal field.  It is an easy to use system and they are constantly adding new features like new financial reports and accountant access.

I am in the process of migrating to Clio for my time tracking and invoicing.  I’m switching primarily because Clio is a full scope practice management platform that includes things like case management, secure client communication, and billing goal setting that takes into account days off.  Additionally, I am planning to require retainers more frequently (as opposed to after the fact payment) and Clio in conjunction with the LawPay integration is better suited for ethical trust accounting

Clio isn’t as pretty or intuitive as FreshBooks and there are a few reports I’ll miss, but so far it is a great system.  The price point is do-able for even the smallest of solos.  I’m paying less than $35 more/month than when I was using FreshBooks.

BUSINESS CALLS
Old Service:    Google Voice
New Service: LexReception + Business Phone Line
Comments:  You know what I liked about Google Voice?  It was free.  That was the only aspect of it that worked well for me.  I had it on my personal cell phone and there was too much intermingling of personal and business calls.  I’d ignore business calls because I thought they were sales calls.  Or I’d forget to open the Google Voice app and would end up calling clients directly from my cell so then they would call me back directly on my cell.

I had my phone on silent a lot because many of my projects require long blocks of uninterrupted time.  This helped me give clients’ projects the focus they deserved but meant if a prospective client called, they were not being helped immediately.

It took me a long time to pull the trigger and get a dedicated business line because well, Google Voice was free.  But of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch (Economics 101!) and the cost was missed business opportunities.

At the same time, I also hired an answering service.  There were an overwhelming number of options.  I decided that I wanted to go with a legal specific service because I thought a focused service would be better able to professionally handle current and prospective legal clients.  I then narrowed it down to two options LexReception and Ruby Receptionists.

I adore the design of Ruby’s advertising material and was honestly, almost swayed by that alone.  However, I went with LexReception because it was more economical for a firm of my size (i.e. small, real small) that does not have a lot of inbound inquiry calls (yet.)  So far, I have had an excellent experience.  I’ve been able to customize how receptionists handle calls, integrate my calendar, and LexReception’s staff have answered inquiries from me promptly.

If you’re considering a virtual answering service for your firm, stop considering and do it.  This comparison of Law Firm Virtual Receptionist Services by the Lawyerist can help you decide which one to go with.

ONLINE CALENDAR FOR SELF-SCHEDULING
Old Service:    appointy
New Service:  Setmore
Comments: I switched because Setmore integrates with LexReception seamlessly so when I get calls, the receptionists can schedule appointments for me.  The two seem comparable for my primary purpose which is simple: allow people to self-schedule appointments online.  Though, I did notice appointy partners with Google which could be worth considering if you don’t need to use Setmore.

PAYROLL
Old Service:    ADP
New Service:  Gusto
Comments: ADP is a leader in payroll services and the first name I thought of when considering one.  I shopped around a bit after a year and ADP matched the price of a competitor I was going to leave them for.  Their customer service has been good.  I do get more emails than I’d like from ADP employees or affiliates selling related services like workers’ compensation insurance.R

RETIREMENT SAVINGS
Old Service:    Acorns, TD Ameritrade
New Service:  Employee Retirement Plan
Comments: This one is an addition rather than a change.  I am continuing to use Acorns for easy automatic savings when I spend money and in weekly contributions (get $5 free if you sign up here), my TD Ameritrade for my IRA where I also make weekly, automatic contributions.

In early next year, I am hoping to create some form of an employee retirement plan through the firm for myself (because I am an employee), and hopefully as the firm grows for other employees.  As you may have guessed from my use of “some form,” this is new territory for me so I’m turning the tables and welcoming any advice in that area.

Note: Some (but not all) of the links in this post are affiliate links.  This means that if you click on them and make a purchase, I will get something in return like a small cash incentive.  Using the links does not increase the price you pay.