Moving Soon! July 12, 2008

I’m having my blog set up on my own host and it should be ready early next week.  In the meantime if anyone wants to contact me please use halosecretarial @ gmail dot com!  Thanks!

Virtual Assistants - Can We Agree on a Definition? July 8, 2008

I just read Tina Marie Hilton’s post over on Home Office Virtual Assistance regarding trying to come to agreement about what a Virtual Assistant really is.

My preferred definition is this one, but really they all do a reasonable job of defining what a va is, I think. And I’m pretty much in the “Factor B” group as defined by Tina - I think a professional va should have some real world admin experience and behave as a business owner, not an employee.

I don’t think the entire industry will ever wholeheartedly agree though, and even if they do their will always be people providing similar services for lower rates (just maybe not on a truly professional level).

Do They Teach This in Law School? July 6, 2008

I’m sure many of these skills - collaboration skills, emotional intelligence, financial literacy, project management, technological affinity and time management - aren’t required courses in typical law school curriculum, but I totally agree with Jordan Furlong’s post on Law 21 detailing the 6 skills lawyers should have today.

I personally think the most interesting skill noted is the need for emotional intelligence. Winning clients in the modern time is DEFINITELY going to require an ability to truly empathize with and respect clients’ positions. As a businesswoman I always prefer my service providers to understand where I’m coming from.

As for time management I’ll just repeat my favorite advice to delegate, delegate, delegate!!! (Hint, hint - consider a virtual legal assistant - we love to help!!!)

The Future of Solo Law Practice? July 2, 2008

I was surfing LinkedIn this morning, as I’d like to start making better use of its networking possibilities. I was searching Canadian members of the Legal Blogging group and found the blog of Donna Seale, a lawyer who niches in the human righs area. Donna shared this fascinating article from Susan Goldberg for National Magazine, an article which Donna was interviewed for. I love how the article addresses the benefits of blogging as a marketing tool for solo law practices.

The article, which is about the changing face of solo law practices in Canada, also features some wonderful comments from Susan Cartier Liebel of Build a Solo Practice, LLC fame about how niche marketing could be the savior of solo law practices.

I highly recommend checking out this article, and the blogs of Donna and Susan!

Canada 9-5 Blog Carnival June 28, 2008

It’s almost Canada Day so why not check out this edition of the Canada 9-5 Blog Carnival from Alphablogs - my post on Law Practice and Life Balance is mentioned!!

One of the posts I particularly enjoyed was Sarah Welstead’s post called For the Price of a Cup of Coffee.

Hope you enjoy the carnival!!!

VA Certification - Yes or No? June 25, 2008

A resounding NO to this question from me! I’m of the opinion that experience in an administrative setting is the key to being successful as a VA, or at least one of the keys. Administrative experience will help you with your client’s work, but you will need some entrepreneurial skills also to help you run your business and you need to have some tech skills for the online and marketing aspects. A professional virtual assistant designation though? Not a requirement to me - maybe not a bad idea, but not a requirement.

Probably that makes this obvious but I have no official va certification, nor do I plan to obtain one in the immediate future. I do have an honors college diploma in paralegal studies and over 10 years of in-office experience so I think I’ve got the background aspect well under control.

Do you find work stressful? June 24, 2008

This is an older article I came across recently, but stress, not surprisingly, continues to plague lawyers and business people alike.

Work and life balance is a common topic in the work world, certainly with many people I know anyway. I know it’s on my mind. I love working - I love the challenge of difficult assignments, I love helping clients, I love the planning process! But without balance between my work life and my personal life I feel VERY stressed. I love my kids and husband and I need time to enjoy being with them. Don’t most of us need time away from work? Maybe we want to go to our kids’ soccer games or go for a long walk after dinner, or maybe we just want to sleep in on the weekends!

So how do we make it all work? For me the answer is starting my own virtual assistant business, but there are many other options!! Part-time work and flexible work arrangements are another great solution. Delegation is key for small business owners. Don’t get bogged down thinking you need to do it all or be everything for your company, balance can be achieved!!

Hanging Up My Out of Office Sign June 20, 2008

We’re heading on a mini-vacation for a few days - we’re going to visit Grandma! I’ll be back early next week - hope everyone has a beautiful weekend!!!

Name Calling and Target Practice June 16, 2008

I just commented over at the CVAN blog on a post called So What’s in a Title? The topic is one that I’ve discussed before but I always find it interesting and yet frustrating.  So many titles for similar yet just dissimilar enough job descriptions.

It’s no wonder I’ve worked for many lawyers with no idea how much I was capable of until we’d worked together a while.  I could have had anywhere from a legal terminology class to a college degree and called myself a legal secretary, legal assistant or paralegal.  The title doesn’t matter to me, but I do value my education, experience and abilities, which is why I like the term paralegal.  But where I live the Law Society hasn’t wanted paralegals providing services directly to the public and the name paralegal therefore isn’t all positive for targeting my marketing to legal practices.  I don’t want to be their competition - I want them to be MY clients!!! I love working with lawyers and helping on a file but I’m well aware that I don’t have a law degree.

Just call me Laurie and forget the title thing altogether!!

The Mommy and Daddy Track June 15, 2008

I read this great article at ABA journal about the daddy track and how men are now becoming concerned with having a good work-life balance, just as moms have been for so long.

I think men are more involved than ever with parenting. The expectations of women like myself and my friends have certainly evolved from what our parents practiced. We love spending time with our kids but we expect our spouses to be true partners in their care. It might not always work as well as we’d hoped, but it certainly is the goal. For example, my husband does daycare pickups when he is off work in time and has taken days off so I could attend a conference in another province. He cooks meals and gives baths and reads bedtime stories.  And he doesn’t do it as a “favour” to me - he recognizes it’s his job as much as mine.

Of course if men are really getting on the “daddy track” so to speak, it makes one wonder about how businesses will cope. No one is going to want to work overtime anymore it seems and in fact many people want the option of part-time or job-share arrangements rather than full-time work. At my last job there were several men who took some paternity leave (even fairly lengthy leaves in a couple of cases) and combined with the aging workforce I foresee a lot of changes to the way work is done. I personally hope more telecommute options become possible, as it is such a wonderful option for many. I live in a suburb of a big city in Alberta, and I save 45 minutes each way by not commuting. I can’t even imagine the lengthy commutes in much larger areas like Los Angeles or New York.

Of course a great choice for any parent is self-employment, especially if you can avoid the temptation to work too much!