Dawn Bowie entered legal practice in 2001, more than two decades after she’d completed her first Bachelor’s degree.  In the interim, she’d raised three children, worked as a paralegal for several years, earned an additional Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s and attended law school.  So by the time she opened the doors of her solo law practice in 2004, she knew more than a little bit about how she wanted to do business.

Like most professionals, though, Dawn had to do some streamlining and refining to get where she wanted to go.  When she signed on with VLOTech in the fall of 2007, she had a specific, narrow purpose in mind.  She wanted to launch a service for self-represented litigants, who make up an overwhelming percentage of family law parties in Maryland.

As she worked to build that program, though, she started to see other ways that VLO could benefit her practice.  About a year ago, she switched over to using the VLO for all of her cases.  That change not only resulted in significant time savings, but has dovetailed with the evolution of her practice.

Saving Time Up Front

Every small firm or solo attorney knows how much time a prospect can eat up on the telephone before he or she actually agrees to come in to the office.  Many are hoping to pick up free advice during the conversation and have no intention of retaining the attorney’s services.  Dawn says that since she’s implemented the VLO technology across the board, she’s saving hours in up-front telephone calls.  Now, her process is streamlined.  Even if a potential client makes initial contact over the telephone, she simply directs him to the website to register and schedule an appointment.

Then, the conflicts-check kicks in before she’s ever had a conversation with that prospective client or seen any of his information.

Increased Security

Bowie says that clients love the increased security that comes from communicating exclusively through the VLO.  In addition to the data security measures that protect client information and communications, exchanging information through the VLO segregates attorney-client communications in a way that’s impossible with email.

Flexibility

A key factor in surviving (and even thriving) in the current market is the ability to adapt.  The economy has taken a downturn, the competition is changing, technology has made new options available and consumers are looking for legal services in different places.  That, Bowie says, is the advantage of being small.  She’s about to abandon the billable hour in favor of an entirely value-based system and is working on expanding her services to make a wider range of options available to a wider range of consumers.