As we continue to see the expansion of virtual workforces across law firms and legal departments, we have an opportunity to learn new techniques for improving our processes and workflow in this ever-changing business environment. Making small modifications to the way teams communicate can be critical while entire firms and companies are working remotely. When utilizing a virtual paralegal team, here are some tips for success:
- Communicate Objectives: Get on the same page with your legal team, whether they are internal or a hired partner. Cue them in on current objectives so they understand what needs to get done at the organizational level, even if they do not have a specific task that is related. Team members appreciate that they are working toward overall organization success.
- Resource Availability: Develop a repository for all resources, where they are, how they can be accessed, who should use them, and what they should be used for in an easy-to-use location.
- Project Deadlines: If you do not have a project-specific method to handle case management and deadlines, now is a good time to integrate one into your processes. Identifying specific project deadlines that keep your virtual paralegal team on task and on time will keep projects moving forward seamlessly and allow for an easy overview of their current status.
- Communication Tools: There are many cloud-based business messaging solutions available today, like Slack, that can be invaluable for keeping projects moving forward when there are minor hold-ups or uncertainties that need to be resolved quickly before a project can continue to progress.
- Virtual Check-Ins: Short check-ins every week, month, or quarter can provide a forum for answering group questions quickly while keeping team members connected by phone or video when they are not accessible in person.
Using these tips can help your organization run more seamlessly. Customizing your tool set to meet your specific needs will allow for continued improvement and success. At Baer Reed, our virtual paralegal teams work as an extension of our partners’ organizations.
Mr. Reyes graduated with honors from the Ateneo de Manila University, where he received the Procter and Gamble Student Excellence Award. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo de Manila School of Law. During law school, Mr. Reyes was part of the Philippine delegation to the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot held in Vienna, Austria. He was also a member of the Ateneo Society of International Law and the St. Thomas More Debate Society. He completed his internship at the Public Attorney’s Office. He wrote a thesis entitled: “To Kill A White Elephant: An Analysis of the Fiduciary Exception to the Corporate Attorney-Client Privilege”. Mr. Reyes is admitted to practice law in the Philippines and the State of New York.
Ms. Lardizabal-Manzano is a graduate of San Sebastian College-Recoletos, where she earned her B.A. in Political Science. In 2003, she received her law degree from Lyceum of the Philippines and was admitted to practice law in 2004.
Matthew Hersh earned a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University in 1990 and graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999. He also holds a master’s degree in international relations from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Cap. Avi Levak (Res. IDF) graduated from from Israel’s prestigious Ben-Gurion University of the Negev with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics. He is also a Leadership and Communication coach trained in TuT coaching by Alon gal in Israel. Avi specializes in high-level, in-depth analysis of business and client needs, within systems and software strategy and architecture.
Ms. Tyler graduated cum laude from Georgetown University and received her law degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center. During law school, she interned at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. She also worked on The Tax Lawyer journal and was a member of the award-winning Barristers’ Council Mock Trial Team. Ms. Tyler is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the District of Columbia.
Ms. Cruz-Anonuevo graduated cum laude and top nine in her batch from Miriam College with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in InternationalStudies. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in Rockwell. During law school, she interned in Rivera, Santos, Maranan & Associates. She was also part of Ateneo’s Labor Law Bar Operations. She wrote her thesis on, “Stealing Privacy: Limitations on Media’s Photographic Invasion.,” Ms. Cruz-Anonuevo is admitted to practice law in the Philippines.
Ms. Aquino-Batallones obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Studies (with Minors in Global Politics and Hispanic Studies) from the Ateneo de Manila University. In 2011, she received her Juris Doctor degree from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law. During law school, she interned at Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles then became an intern of Ateneo Legal Services Center’s Clinical Legal Education Program.
Mr. De Guzman graduated from San Beda College with a degree of Bachelor of Arts Major in Economics and received his law degree from San Beda College of Law. He is multilingual and is fluent in three languages: Chinese, Filipino, and English. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2003.