These are slides from a webinar I gave on December 16, 2014 for MyCase on virtual law firms.

1. The Virtual Law Firm
How to Deliver Legal ServicesOnline
StephanieKimbro,M.A.,J.D.
Fellow,StanfordLaw
CenterfortheLegalProfession
WebinarpresentationforMyCase,Inc.
December16,2014

2. About Our Presenter
Stephanie Kimbro, MA, JD, is a Fellow at Stanford
Law School Center for the Legal Profession in Palo
Alto, California. She is the author of several books
including Virtual Law Practice: How to Deliver
Legal Services Online (2010, 2nd ed. forthcoming
2015), Limited Scope Legal Services: Unbundling
and the Self-Help Client (2012), Consumer Law
Revolution: The Lawyers’ Guide to the Online
Legal Marketplace (2013), and Online Legal
Services for the Client-Centric Law Firm (2013).
Her current research at Stanford involves the use
of gamification to increase productivity in law firms
and to improve online engagement between
lawyers and the public.
StephanieKimbro, M.A., J.D.

3. Overview
• Market for online legal services
• Virtual law firm business models and delivery
methods
• Marketing a virtual law firm
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

4. The U.S Legal Services Market
• American consumers spend
approximately $43 billion to $56
billion annually on personal legal
services
• Latent legal services market adds
another $45 billion to the
potential market
• $145 billion market in total
Size of the market for legal services
What consumers spend now $43 billion
Estimated value of under-served
consumers or latent market defined as
the value of legal problems that are not
serviced.
$45 billion
Total market $88 billion
4
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

5. Market Metrics
• 78%ofAmericansdonothaveawillorupdatedwill.
• 50%ofallmarriagesendindivorce.
• PersonalBankruptcyfilingshavealmostdoubledsince1990.
• Morethan10millionAmericanarevictimsofIdentityThefteachyear.
• Nearly9our10employeesexperiencedatleastonelegalconcern
duringthepastyear.(LegalNeedsStudy).
• Infact,sevenoutof10Americanssaidtheyexperiencedalegalevent
withinthepastyear*,accordingtoarecentsurveyconductedbyARAG,
alegalsolutionsprovider. (LegalNeedsStudy). Dataalsosupportedby
AmericanBarAssociationLegalNeedsStudy.
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

6. Clients are online, lawyers aren’t
Pew Research Center:
3 out of 4 consumers
seeking an attorney
over the last year
used online resources
at some point
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

7. Empowered
Consumers
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

8. Good Customer Service =
Communicating and being accessible using methods that
are currently embraced and relied upon by clients.
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

9. The public conducts
the following tasks online:
Shop
Sell
Bank
Invest
Trade
Pay Taxes
E-file
Obtain degrees
Work
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

10. Here come the “Digital
Natives”.
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

11. Poll #1
• As my law firm’s main method of legal service delivery
• An amenity for my firm’s existing clients
• A way to inject additional revenue into my firm by providing
unbundled services online
• A competitive advantage over other traditional law firms
• My clients are requesting online services
What is the primary reasonyou are interestedin delivering
legalservicesonline?
StephanieKimbro(c)Copyright2014

12. Designing a Virtual Law Firm
• Business Models & Creating a Business Plan
• Unbundling
• Design Techniques
• Sample firms
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

13. Fundamental Questions
•Agood business model defines:
• Who is the client?
• What does the client value?
• Italsoanswersthefundamentalquestioneverymanagermustask:
• How do we make money in this business?
• What is the underlying economic logic that explains how we can
deliver value to customers at an appropriate cost?
Source:JoanMagretta(2002,HarvardBusinessReview,WhyBusinessModelsMatter)
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

14. Business Model Questions
• How DoesYour Law Firm Create Value?
• How DoesYour Law Firm Deliver Value?
• How DoesYour Law Firm Capture Value?
The reason why people or businesses seek out your
law firm is because they have a problem and they are
asking you, “Do you have a solution?”
They are not interested in your laundry list of services.
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

15. Examples of Law Firm Business Models
• Legal Subscription Plans
• Full Service Law Firm
• Limited Legal Service Law Firm
• Brick and Mortar Law Firm
• Virtual Law Firm
• General Practice Law Firm
• Niche Practice Law Firm
• Fixed Price law firm vs. billing by the hour
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

16. Most Popular Virtual Law Firm Business Models
• Completely Web-based - “pure-play”
• Unbundled or limited legal services
• Integrated into a traditional law office
• Unbundled and full-service
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

17. Unbundling
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

18. Sample Unbundled Services
Draftingpleadings,briefs,declarationsororders
Documentreview
Conductinglegalresearch
Negotiating
Makinglimitedappearances
Advisingoncourtproceduresandcourtroombehavior
Coachingonstrategyorroleplaying
Preparingexhibits
Organizingdiscoverymaterials
Draftingcontractsandagreements
Providinglegalguidanceoropinions
Onlinedisputeresolution
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

19. Design Techniques
• Analyze legal projects into their component tasks.
• A task becomes a project that you price separately.
• It should be a stand-alone project or process that you
can put a boundary around so that the service is
limited.
• Can you digitize it? Make it into a digital application?
Deliver it online?
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

20. Stephanie Kimbro (c)

21. Multijurisdictional Virtual Law Firm
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

22. Virtual Law Office - Home Office

23. Hybrid Model

24. Multijurisdictional Virtual Law Firm

26. Poll #2
• Establishing attorney/client relationships online
• Determining authentication of client identity
• Security and confidentiality concerns
• Making the determination of when unbundling is appropriate
or not
• My state bar’s position on cloud computing
What PotentialConcernsto you have about online delivery?
StephanieKimbro(c)Copyright2014

27. Marketing a Virtual Law Firm
• Branding and Positioning Strategy
• Online Engagement
• Branded Networks & Online Marketing Tools
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

29. Online Legal Conversations
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014
Where are the lawyers?
Consumers
LegalZoom
Rocket Lawyer
Pearl.com
Other Branded Networks
Press
Bloggers

30. Engagement Comes First
How?
Educational, self-help resources available online
• Web advisors, web calculators
• Expert systems, checklists
• Document Automation and Assembly
• Free legal forms with instructions
• Video tutorials
• Online tri-age methods to identify
the existence of a legal need
• Matching legal need of consumer with appropriate service – whether
that’s the law firm, unbundled, self-help, legal aid, etc.
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

31. What We Know
• Easier with a personal or law firm brand in place and
an online presence
• Human contact is still necessary
• Middle-person, virtual assistant or receptionist
• Minimal handholding before transfer and/or conversion from lead
to paying client
• Consumers still prefer to find lawyers by referral from
friends and family
Stephanie L. Kimbro - Copyright (c) 2014

32. Marketing Strategy – Build a Brand
First: Who are your clients?
Second: Where are they online and off? How
do they communicate with friends and family?
Third: How are they finding you?
Fourth: What content are they looking for?
Tailor to let prospective clients know what
services you provide and how your firm’s
services are unique.

33. Key Factors that Differentiate
Identify the key legal and non-legal needs that prospective
clients are looking for intheir selection process. Express these:
• I understand what you are going through
• I understand the questions you have about this process and
can listen effectively to you
• I have the experience to help with the substantive, legal
aspects of the problem
• I won’t be judged and you will help me get my life back on
track
• I understand the payment structure and how to budget for my
legal needs.

34. One Unique Thing
Select one great, interesting or unique thing about
yourself.
More than one and you’re bragging.
Can use this to get the initial attention, tell your story,
relate.
Doesn’t have to be related to your law degree.
You sang backup with Aerosmith
You run the Boston Marathon every year
You have a PhD in physics
You are a Girl Scout troop leader
You were the star quarterback in college and almost went pro

35. What is a Lead?
Lead Generation = Prospective Client Development
Cold vs warm leads
Lead “nurturing”
Lead conversion
Lead conversion is still your job no matter who you pay to
generate the leads or how much.
Visitors Leads Clients

36. What is a Branded Network?
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

37. Online Marketing Tools
• Q&Asites, Forums
• Online profiles
• Hosting and sharing content
• Online brand building
• Secure online communication space
• Video conferencing tools
• Document automation and assembly systems and
document libraries
• Expert systems toadvise decision making
• Matching services toconnect the user toaconsumer
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

38. Adding Branded Networks to Your
Marketing Strategy
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

39. Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

40. Be Selective
Which branded network and marketing tools are
appropriate for:
• Your practice areas
• Your client base
• Your (and your clients’) comfort level with tech
• State RPC
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

41. Future innovations in the delivery
of legal services will include more
applications to allow the public to
directly interact with a lawyer
online.
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

42. Other Resources
MyBooks:
• VirtualLawPractice:HowtoDeliverLegalServicesOnline,ABA/LPD
(2010,2nd editionforthcomingspring2015)
• LimitedScopeLegalServices:Unbundling andtheSelf-HelpClient,
ABA/LPD(2012)
• ConsumerLawRevolution:Lawyer’sGuidetotheOnlineLegal
Marketplace,ABA/LPD,(2013)
• OnlineLegalServicesfortheClient-CentricLawFirm,ManagingPartner,
ArkGroupPublishing, 2013
ABAUnbundling ResourceCenter
http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/delivery/delunbund.html
Stephanie Kimbro (c) Copyright 2014

43. Contact
Stephanie Kimbro, M.A.,J.D.
virtuallawpractice.org
@StephKimbro