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Fractional Legal Staff: A Real-World Checklist of Things They Can Do For You

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Running a small law firm is demanding. You wear many hats, juggling cases, managing clients, and overseeing every detail. Hiring additional staff can be tempting, but the prospect of onboarding a full-time employee—the cost, the commitment—can be daunting.

At Amata, we understand your hesitation. That’s why our fractional staffing solutions are designed specifically for small firms like yours, offering the benefits of dedicated support without the burden of full-time overhead.

 

Are You Worried About Your Fractional Staff’s Onboarding?

Perhaps you’re worried about:

  • Integration and Training

    Will a fractional paralegal or admin seamlessly integrate into your existing workflow? Yes. At Amata, we take the time to understand your firm’s unique needs and ensure your fractional staff is fully trained on your preferred tools and procedures. Think of it as a seamless extension of your team, not a disruptive addition. 
  • Accountability and Quality

    Can you trust someone working part-time to deliver high-quality work and meet deadlines? Absolutely. Our staff is comprised of pre-vetted, experienced legal professionals. We prioritize clear communication through daily logs and regular reviews, keeping you informed and ensuring your standards are met. 
  • Cost-Effectiveness

    Will fractional staffing actually save you money? Most definitely! You only pay for the support you need, eliminating the expense of salaries, benefits, and office space for a full-time employee. This allows you to scale your team up or down as your caseload dictates, maximizing your return on investment.

From the moment you engage Amata, our team prioritizes a smooth transition. Our proven onboarding process ensures your fractional staff is quickly brought up to speed on your firm’s processes.

 

Here’s an example of a real-world onboarding schedule we use when working with clients:

 

  • Day 1: Initial Meeting and Setup: We schedule the initial meeting to understand your specific needs and establish clear communication channels. We outline daily and weekly tasks and request access to necessary tools and platforms.

    This initial day is dedicated to getting you familiarized with your fractional team, and understanding your preferred software and procedures. 
  • Day 2: Detailed Instructions and Supervised Execution: We schedule a follow-up meeting to ensure a clear understanding of expectations. This session is recorded for future reference, allowing your fractional staff to revisit the information as needed. Under your supervision, they begin executing the assigned tasks. 
  • Day 3: Independent Task Execution: Gradually your fractional staff starts tackling tasks independently. They can refer back to the recorded instructions for any clarification, freeing you from constant supervision while maintaining accuracy. 
  • Day 4: Tasks Repetition and Output Delivery: The team repeats the tasks to ensure proficiency and consistent quality output. Completed tasks are delivered to you for review, keeping you in complete control of the process.

 

Ongoing Daily and Weekly Review

Amata fosters a culture of transparency and accountability. This commitment is reflected in our ongoing communication practices:

 

  • Daily Logs: Your fractional staff meticulously maintains a daily log detailing completed tasks and progress made. This log provides you with real-time insight into their work and allows for immediate course correction if needed. 
  • Weekly Reviews: Collaboration is key. We schedule regular weekly reviews where you and your fractional staff can discuss all tasks, ensure alignment with your goals, and address any concerns promptly. 
  • Proactive Adaptation: The legal landscape is dynamic, and your needs may evolve. Amata recognizes this. We hold regular meetings to discuss new tasks or changing requirements, ensuring your fractional staff is equipped to handle them efficiently.

Amata: Your Partner in Success

Amata’s fractional staffing solutions are designed to empower small law firms like yours. We offer:

 

  • Flexibility: Tailor your support to your specific needs. Need help with legal research for a few hours a week? Done. Want a paralegal to assist with all pre-trial tasks for a specific case? We’ve got you covered.
  • Focus on Your Core Business: Free yourself from administrative burdens and focus on what you do best – practicing great law.
  • Peace of Mind: Know that your critical tasks are being handled by qualified professionals, allowing you to serve your clients with confidence.

Don’t let concerns about traditional staffing hold you back. Contact Amata today and discover how our fractional legal staffing solutions can streamline your workflow and save you time while providing an accountable team all along the way.

3 Steps to Growing Your Law Firm

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Growing a remarkable company is not an easy task. Building something that lasts requires time, work, resilience, and the ability to constantly pivot.

After working with over 600 law firms in Chicago of all sizes, we have seen a few things that separate those who build a thriving firm from those who stay stuck. In this article, we’ll explore what those key characteristics are, and how you can start implementing them today.

Step #1. Set a SMART Goal

We cannot define progress without first having something to strive towards. That is why the first step is setting a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound goal. This is known as a SMART goal, and without it we have no way of measuring progress and will be more prone to stay reactive to whatever life throws our way. We want to be proactive.

Where would you like your law firm to be within 3 years? Define your target revenue, profit margins, team composition, client profile, and hours that you work. Only by being clear and specific about what we want, can we start aligning all our daily actions with our goals.

Try to also go deeper into the reasons WHY you desire those things. The only way to stick with your goals when things get busy and difficult (which they will), is by setting up goals that you genuinely care about and see the importance of. In other words, your goals should be musts and not only wants for you to truly commit to them.

Step #2. Protect Your Schedule

Now that we have a goal, the next step is to invest resources to achieve it. Those resources come in the form of work, money, attention, focus, and time.

Let’s say you want to double your firm’s revenue within the next 18 months. You would need to reverse engineer that target by asking yourself, “What would need to happen for me to double my firm’s revenue?”

This will give you a strategic set of actions that need to get done — either one time or recurrently — in order to achieve that goal.

Where most business owners get stuck is by thinking they will achieve their goals without some sacrifices. As Jim Rohn said, “What got you here won’t get you there”. There need to be real changes in your schedule, your activities, and your relationships for this new goal to materialize.

Dan Sullivan advises business owners to set an inspiring 10X goal. He says “Seemingly impossible goals spotlight a few pathways and enable you to clearly identify the 20 percent of things and people in your life that are producing most of your results, and the 80 percent of things and people in your life that are holding you back.”

“Going for smaller goals (2X growth) means you can keep 80 percent of your existing clients, roles, behaviors, and mindsets. Only minor tweaks are needed.”

“Going for inspiring goals (10X growth) requires a different kind of effort, often less in quantity but higher in quality. You’ve elevated your vision and focus and must eliminate 80 percent of your current reality. 10X requires a full-scale transformation of yourself as well as everyone and everything around you.”

This reinforces the point that, in order to achieve a higher level, many things that are keeping you stuck need to be eliminated or delegated. That is when the next step comes in.

 

Step #3. Focus On What Matters

Now you have a goal and know that strategic plan to reach it. The next step is to open up space in your calendar. This will give you the time and the mental bandwidth to take your law firm to the next level.

A tool like the Eisenhower Matrix can be highly useful in this case.

The thing is to filter any task you need to do with this set of criteria. If it’s not important and not urgent, you delete it. If it’s not important but urgent, you delegate it. If it’s important but not urgent, you schedule it. If it’s important and urgent, you do it.

In that way, you are only left with tasks that move the needle, while your team takes care of tasks that maintain your current level but don’t contribute strategically to your goals.

 

What If You Cannot Afford a Big Team Yet?

The reality for solo practitioners and small law firm owners is that, even by having goals, a strategic plan, and protecting their calendar, they do not have the team in place to delegate their work. That means that they need to keep serving clients, growing their firms, and trying to enjoy life all at the same time.

That is why at Amata we created a suite of support services, that allow lawyers to delegate admin work without the overhead costs of full-time hires. With these services, small law firms can focus on growing their firms while protecting their profitability.

Just imagine how much further you would go if you could reduce your workload by 10-30 hours a week with a part-time assistant. At Amata we find and train these assistants for you, and bill hourly for only the work that you require.

Our support services for attorneys include paralegals, law clerks, live receptionists, and virtual assistants who act as an extension of your law firm. Here is a list of some of the on-demand services we provide:

  • Appointments and Calendar Management
  • Mail opening/scanning
  • Court Runs (Including the assembly, print, and preparation of courtesy copies.)
  • Notary/Witness Service
  • Scan/Fax/Deliver documents
  • Review court fillings
  • Editing appellate briefs per your notes
  • Draft simple complaints and motions
  • Handle the back-and-forth aspects of discovery
  • Video conferencing set-up
  • New client intake
  • Hand Deliveries/Pick-Ups
  • E-Filing
  • Preparation of Notice of Filing, Notice of Motion, Certificate of Service, and forms.
  • Review of local rules, court’s standing orders, & any temporary procedural orders in place.
  • Spindle or piggyback motion hearing dates, and any communications with the court clerk.
  • Confirm acceptance of filing by the court clerk.
  • Document Translation and Proofreading
  • Formatting appellate briefs
  • Skip Tracing
  • Social media posting
  • Asset Search (bank accounts)
  • E-Recording
  • And much, much more!

By having these support services without the need to hire, train, and retain employees, solo and small firms can practice law on their terms. You can focus on billable hours, defining your vision, and being a strategic leader, all while enjoying the work/life balance you started your business for.

Contact us today and see how our on-demand, flexible legal support services can help you grow your law firm and free up your time while protecting your profitability.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Virtual Office vs. Physical Office: Finding the Right Fit with Amata

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Should you pick a physical office or a virtual workspace? There are benefits either way. A virtual office offers flexibility, cost savings, and remote access. But a physical office provides a dedicated space for collaboration and productive meetings.

Here are Amata we offer the perfect middle. With flexible office spaces, we can serve your needs with the advantages of both a physical and a virtual office. This article is going to explain how.

Virtual Office vs. Physical Office

Here are 3 ways we can help virtual offices:

Cost Efficiency

Virtual offices eliminate the need for physical space, utilities, and maintenance. This option helps businesses maintain profitability, so they can invest more into tech, team, and growth.

At Amata we offer cost-efficient virtual office solutions, so your business can maintain its professional presence without the overhead expenses of a traditional office space.

Flexibility

We understand the importance of adaptability in today’s fast-paced world. That is why we provide 12-month lease terms with 30-day adjustment notice periods, which allow you to quickly pivot if needed.

With our scalable plans, you can also add or reduce office space as needed during the term of the contract, without penalties. Our shared spaces also virtual law firms to maintain their professional image while reducing on the second largest expense for most professional service companies: office space. You can better allocate those resources to improve technology, serve more clients, and grow your team.

Access To Legal Support Services Chicago

Whether you opt for a virtual or physical office, Amata’s support services are readily available to smoothen your operations. Our pre-vetted professionals act as extension of your team including:

  • Administrative assistants
  • Paralegals
  • Live receptionists
  • Business phone services

All of which can off-load your essential but tedious tasks like phone answering, posting on social media, keeping your databases updated, and even drafting first drafts for important cases.

Here are 3 ways we can help non-virtual offices:

Modern, Professional Office

Amata’s modern office spaces in Chicago are strategically designed to project a professional image and an environment for enhanced productivity and collaboration. You can enjoy all the credibility, safe facilities, and fully-equipped offices from a large corporation, but without the costs or 5-year leases.

Collaborative Environment

Our physical offices are designed to promote your very best work, where collaboration and innovation can flourish. With a combination of private offices, strategically placed workstations and networking events, law firms and professional service firms can focus on client service while everything is taken care of for them.

Secure and Private Environment

Physical offices provide an unmatched level of security and privacy, which is particularly important for law firms and professional service firms. We equip our offices and conference rooms with robust security measures, ensuring your data and confidential meetings remain protected.

We Can Help You Grow, On Your Own Terms

The choice between virtual and physical offices depends on your unique situation. While virtual offices offer flexibility and cost savings, physical offices provide a professional space for enhanced productivity and collaboration. With our flexible office plans and scalable solutions, we ensure you’ll find the perfect solution for your business, whether you require a modern office space, virtual office services, or legal support in Chicago.

Contact our friendly team and discover your ideal office solution to grow — whether you work remotely, on-site, or with a hybrid arrangement.

Discover our virtual offices in Chicago.

Achieving True Office Flexibility — An Underlooked Factor for Growing Your Law Firm

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Achieving True Office Flexibility — An Underlooked Factor for Growing Your Law Firm

 

Growing a business of any size can be hard. You need to generate new clients, serve the ones you already have, and constantly control your costs in order to ensure a profitable operation.

And when it comes to growing your law firm, the challenge can be even harder. Take, for example, an office. Most lawyers know the importance of having a professional office. The problem is that, according to a study conducted by BCG Attorney Search, Office Spaces can represent up to 50% of the expenses a small to medium-sized law firm has to incur.

That is why today we want to share what has helped more than 800 of our clients save money and achieve what we call Office Flexibility. You will understand how to access professional offices that adapt to your needs as a business owner, and that scale up and down with your operations.

 

The Support You Need, on Your Own Terms

Most lawyers started their own firm for one reason: Freedom. Freedom to work on meaningful cases, with clients they enjoy working with, controlling their hours, and at rates that truly compensate for the long hours they invest into providing an exceptional service.

The problem is that working in a small to medium-sized firm might come with the freedom, but at the expense of stability. This means that many of the support mechanisms that large firms take for granted are now impossible to afford, including:

  • Administrative assistants to delegate tasks to
  • Receptionists to take calls
  • Paralegals to assign law tasks to
  • A physical office space

So law firm founders find themselves in a conundrum: Should they sacrifice the quality of life they started their firm for in the first place, by trying to do all of the work themselves? Or should they hire other professionals to support them, but at the risk of facing a low cash flow month with high fixed expenses?

That’s where Office Flexibility comes in. Forget about having to choose between a professional, fully-staffed office AND labor costs so high that they erode your profitability.

Because if there’s a recurring trend in the legal world, it’s flexibility. From outsourced legal services to Fractional General Counsels, companies demand more flexibility in their costs to meet their exact growth needs. And having served the legal industry for 21+ years, Amata brings the flexibility you need to the office.

 

Professional Offices With the Flexibility You Need

At Amata Law Office Suites, we offer agreements that allow clients to drop or add offices during the term of the contract, without penalty, resulting in true office flexibility.

Whether you just started your law firm, have a team of 10-20, or are ready to expand your big law firm with the flexibility to scale up or down, we are here for you. No more letting long-term leases or a small staff hinder your ability to make the scalable impact you envision.

Our flexible support services mean more impact and less stress. Paralegal assistants can go to City Hall, the Recorders Office and deliver courtesy copies to judges for you. Live receptionists can screen your calls, handle new client in-take, and greet your guests. Our senior paralegals can research local court procedures, investigate cases, and draft motions on your behalf.

Our team acts as an extension of your law firm and scales up and down as you need to, so you never have to pay for under-utilized staff.

Besides these on-demand, professional support services, Amata provides you with a physical or virtual office that grows with you. Some of our clients have described their Amata office spaces as untouchable, pristine, and “a place for relationships worth its weight in gold.”

In today’s economic environment, the ability to add or remove office spaces without penalty is paramount. That is why our plans provide flexible pricing, short-term agreements with options to adjust, and conference rooms that can accommodate every need, including live depositions, in-person meetings combined with video meetings, in-person client lunches and after-hour gatherings.

Most lawyers do not need to come into the office on a regular basis, nor do they need a large office with a lavish library. You can strategically grow your firm by allocating your resources to technology and talent, while still having a professional office that establishes your professionalism and provides all the support needed to thrive.

Because for most law firms, the two largest expenses are office space and compensation. Amata helps you reduce both with a fresh solution that scales as you do, without penalizing you for changes along the way.

After all, flexibility in your costs means more ability to serve clients, build a thriving firm, and enjoy the quality of life you started your business for in the first place.

Inquire today to learn how our flexible solutions can help your law firm reduce costs, simplify your growth, and scale.

Discover our offices for lawyers in Chicago.

From Small Business Incubator To Thriving Law Practice

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From Small Business Incubator To Thriving Law Practice


Starting a business of any kind can be hard. Recent law graduates face an even bigger challenge in getting new ventures off the ground due to the highly competitive nature of their field. It takes a lot of upfront capital to start something, and even more hard work and commitment to see it though to success. At Amata Law Office Suites, we understand that not every aspiring lawyer begins their career with such a level of support. That’s why our company is proudly partnered with the Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Solo and Small Practice Incubator program. Providing participants office space free of charge, as well as discounted support services, this initiative is intended to spur graduates’ prospects as they leave law school and pursue the creation of their very own practice. 

Today, we’re going to tell you the story of just one of our many successes. 

A participant in the Solo and Small Practice Incubator program, this civil rights law firm has worked with Amata since 2017. Limited resources and small staff hindered their ability to make a big impact, but with help from Amata they were able to find just the right arrangement to thrive. The firm was immediately able to expand its services upon moving into their new space – leveraging our amenities to engage with more clients and serve the Chicago community to the scale at which they do today. 

Read below to learn more about this specific law practice and what Amata did to help it succeed. 

Growing Through Strategic Resource Allocation and Staffing 

Any new business, whether it’s in the legal industry or not, will face high start-up costs in the beginning. It’s an inevitable part of the process that, although difficult, can be minimized through careful resource allocation. This firm, like so many others before them, faced this challenge and would have found it difficult to overcome without guidance. 

The Solo and Small Practice Incubator provided the platform for our team to connect the firm with resources, including staffing options. Our flexible support services provided cost-effective assistance in the areas of call handling, message taking, and appointment scheduling when the founders needed it most. At an on-demand cost, they were able to drastically cut the amount of money they’d need to otherwise spend on full-time in-house employees. This strategic use of limited resources would prove beneficial as the venture scaled over time and sought to enhance the quality and breadth of its offerings in Chicago. 

Simplified Client Intake 

The great thing about working with Amata is that there’s no end to the volume or nature of support you can receive. This particular civil rights practice continues to leverage our services in a number of ways, most recently to simplify client intake. 

It’s no secret that the onboarding process can be long, arduous, and even counterproductive when done the traditional way. In the past, the firm would solely rely on hand-written notes made by receptionists as leads came in over the phone. That had the potential to create several problems, with miscommunication, lost information, and an inability to accurately track month-to-month numbers being among the most damaging to operational efficiency.  

Amata was able to address these issues with a streamlined approach. Now, when potential new clients call in, a receptionist takes down the caller’s name, contact information, and a brief description of their situation. This information is shared with attorneys via email. When the attorney wishes to pursue the matter, Amata’s staff calls the potential new client and, using a 25-question in-take form, qualifies their case for legal services. Once complete, the Amata team member schedules an appointment for the attorney to meet with the potential client either in-person or by video call. This hands-free assistance – as well as Spanish translation support – has enabled the firm to take on a more diverse breadth of clients in less time. 

Putting Profitability First With the Power of Flexibility 

If you were to ask the firm’s owners, they would surely tell you that rectifying injustices through the practice of civil rights law is why they do what they do every day. But no matter how passionate someone may be, there’s no overcoming the fact that every business needs capital and profit to grow. Amata helped in this domain by providing uniquely scalable solutions. 

With our help, the firm is able to scale expenses up and down with workloads, maximizing profitability while keeping costs affordable for clients. In one instance when the firm had two cases going to trial at the same time, Amata’s team was engaged for 12 hours of work. The client was billed $1,020 for this work and invoiced their client $2,040. 

Amata Support Services Can Help Your Business Grow 

The Chicago-area law firm we’ve discussed here is nowhere near alone in the wealth of budding practices that Amata has had the pleasure of supporting over the years. Our attorney support services are designed to provide just as much value to the small and new as they are the old and well-established. 

Inquire today to learn more about how we can help take your operations to the next level.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Increasing Revenues with Existing Legal Clients

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By Ron Bockstahler

Increasing Revenues with Existing Clients

Revenues can come from net new business and from expanding services to existing clients. Most of a firms marketing efforts go towards net new business. Let’s discuss how we can increase revenues with existing clients. This is “low-hanging fruit” that can take a business from break-even to profitability with little financial investment. To take advantage of some of this low-hanging fruit we need to increase our value to existing clients and measure existing clients level of satisfaction.

“EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE” MINDSET

We spend years building firms that provide outstanding services and products to our clients. Most of us have client testimonials prominently displayed on our websites and throughout our marketing materials. These are satisfied clients, so let’s put some resources into winning more of their business. The first resource is your firms people. Happy employees create a culture of “Exceptional Customer Service”. Increase employee satisfaction by offering perks that motivate your staff.

Everyone in the organization must approach existing clients the same way they approach prospective clients. Think about how you treat a potential client the week you are expecting them to sign a $1 million contract with your firm. Providing them a little extra attention. Making sure they have everything they need. If we showing existing clients this same type of attention, maybe they too will be signing an agreement for an additional $1 million in annual revenue.

CUSTOMER SURVEYS TO CREATE RAVING FANS

Before we approach existing clients to use more of our services, we first need to measure their satisfaction with existing services. One way to do this is the Net Promoter System, created by Fred Reichheld in 2003. The Net Promoter Score is the percentage of customers who are promoters (those who rate your services a 9 or 10 on a scale of 1-10) minus the percentage who are detractors (those who score your services 1 to6). To obtain a score from a client you will need to conduct regularly scheduled client surveys.

CLIENT SURVEYS IN ACTION

Two recent incidents led me to write this article and both involve customer surveys. The first is a vendor Amata uses and the other was an unhappy Amata client. Let’s start with the vendor. For 2 months Amata requested to have an ice maker installed. The assigned representative was aloof and uncooperative. This vendor sent out a random customer survey and our manager used this survey to report our dissatisfaction with the delayed install. The companies quick response was amazing. The ice maker was installed within a week after the survey was submitted. Amata went from a customer looking to leave the company to a happy client, willing to consider this company for the next installation.

The second incident involved an Amata client. The client completed a survey 60-days after joining Amata. In the survey the client expressed dissatisfaction with a billing issue and a couple other items. Amata’s management team immediately met to plan a course of action. A response was sent to this client, addressing each of the concerns, the following day. The client’s follow up response was to praise Amata’s team for addressing the concerns. The client also commended the Amata staff for their professionalism. In both incidents, an unhappy client was turned into a raving fan, with potential for additional services in the future. These are two excellent examples of how the use of surveys help take the pulse of your clients, identify unhappy clients, and turn them into raving fans for your firm.

If you’re interested in hearing more about how you can add more flexibility to your office expenses, contact us and let’s talk.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Office Flexibility and Cost Controls

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By Ron Bockstahler

The most common question I’m asked lately is “What is happening in the office space sector?”.  With a client base of over 800 law firms and businesses, I usually have a good read on what is happening in the office sector of the real estate industry. Throughout June we have seen an increased demand for office space, but more specifically, the demand for flexible office space has been a top priority. Clients are placing a high priority on office flexibility and cost controls in their office selection.

JUNE CONTRACTS

This last week of June alone, Amata signed 12 contracts and/or amendments with existing clients and new clients. Eight of these were to take additional or new space and four were to reduce space. One virtual client, converted to have a full-time office and a California based law firm sign an amendment to have Amata manage their phone system and answer their phones. In each conversation clients were focused on cost controls by exercising the flexibility in their agreements.

FLEXIBILITY

Not included in the above-mentioned new contracts is a 500+ employee New York based law firm, that renewed their agreement with Amata, adding additional offices. The deciding factor to remain with Amata versus signing a lease for their own space was the flexibility Amata provides. Adding or removing an office during the contract term, without any penalty is crucial in this business environment. Another firm dropped an office from their agreement the first week in June, then added a workstation this past week. Successful firms are adapting to the fast-changing business landscape and controlling costs by taking advantage of the flexible lease and staffing solutions provided by Amata.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

One of Amata’s greatest competitive advantages is the flexibility to manage expenses quickly to match changes in revenues. The cost structure with traditional office landlords makes it impractical and unprofitable to provide tenants this type of flexibility. When a company signs a lease, the landlord amortizes the cost to build-out the space, cover concessions, and brokers fees. Amortized costs do not go away when tenant downsizes and no longer requires all the space. Expanding beyond the initially leased space, without increasing the lease term, further locks in fixed expenses.

Learn more about how you can add flexibility and cost controls to your office expenses by contacting Amata.

Discover our offices for lawyers in Chicago.

Amazing Networking Opportunities for Chicago Lawyers

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By Ron Bockstahler

If you’re anything like me, there are times we dread going to those scheduled networking events. Not that we don’t want to visit with people, but our schedules get busy, we fall behind on work, we sacrifice time with family, or whatever the reason, it can be hard to carve out the time for planned networking.

Yesterday my COO was telling me a fun story about this past Friday night. Our offices have been pretty busy, with more and more people back in the office. It was past 7 p.m., but still light out and she didn’t realize the time. She talks with a few clients that are still working and they ask her what she is still doing in the office. Without realizing the time, she tells them she is working, of course.

They tell her it is past 7 p.m. and offer her a beverage and ask her to join them in the Cognac room. It turns out to be a wonderful, serendipitous get together with a few clients she knows and one she just met that day. Turns out the client has an aunt that performed on Saturday Night Live and did some training at Second City. My COO has taken classes at Second City and they immediately were able to build on this and come up with a lot of fun memories to laugh about.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that experiencing those serendipitous moments, the opportunities for unplanned conversations with others is what I enjoy the most about going into the office. Nothing is planned, there’s no anxiety build-up or second thoughts about what I am missing or giving up to attend a social gathering. Just unrehearsed, natural conversation with peers, co-workers and friends.

It helps that my office is at Amata Office Suites, where I have the opportunity to meet people, other than my co-workers, in the café, hallway or Cognac room. In my business, just about 70% of our new clients come from referrals from existing clients. For lawyers, I’ve read that upwards of 80% of their new business comes from referrals from other lawyers. Having unplanned, unsolicited opportunities to build relationships with others than can refer you business is invaluable. Consider how your year would change if you received one referral form a serendipitous meeting each year.

If you’re interested in hearing more about how you can leverage Amata’s networking for your business, contact us here to get started.

Discover our networking events for Chicago lawyers.

Selecting The Best Virtual Office

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How do you select the best virtual office program? There has been a big increase in the demand for these programs recently. With the increased demand  many new players, looking to make a quick buck, have entered the playing field. Some are marketing companies, with no direct responsibility for the services you are receiving.

Others have very limited resources and experience in providing clients the services they need. When selecting a virtual office provider be sure to look into their history and to make sure they will be accountable for providing the services you are paying for. The most successful companies survive on their reputation, so providing the best service possible is how they win new clients.

Amata Office Suites has been providing Virtual office services for more than 21 years. Understanding how to take care of our clients is what we do better than anyone in the industry.

WHO USES VIRTUAL OFFICE PROGRAMS

Large firms are using virtual office programs to open in new cities. Since the pandemic began many small firms have converted to virtual office programs to reduce costs. Midsize firms that have given up traditional office leases now maintain a combination of physical office space in a coworking office, with a virtual presence for those employees that do not come into the office on a regular basis. Almost every business, regardless of size or the nature of the business, can benefit from maintaining some type of virtual office program.

SECURITY PROTECTIONS AND PROFESSIONAL IMAGE

When selecting the best virtual office, it is important they provide adequate security protections. Providing a home address and personal phone number can expose an owner to unnecessary risk. By using a virtual address for the company, an owner is better able to insulate their private lives from that of their business. In much the same way, separating an owner’s personal cell phone number from the business phone number helps to keep personal information separate from that of the business.

For most businesses a professional image influences their pricing models. Businesses with positive images in the minds of their consumers have more pricing power than those with a negative or neutral image. Companies with a prestigious address in a desirable location, immediately create a positive impression with clients.

COST SAVINGS

Renting or buying a physical office space can be a significant expense for businesses, especially startups or small businesses. Virtual offices offer a cost-effective alternative as they allow businesses to have a prestigious business address at a fraction of what a traditional office space would cost.

Virtual offices enable businesses to operate remotely and have a distributed workforce. Employees can work from anywhere, and the business can have a presence in multiple locations, creating a global presence. Firms can have local addresses and phone numbers in various countries or cities, helping them establish credibility and connect with local customers. This flexibility allows for increased productivity, profitability, and work-life balance for employees.

SUPPORT SERVICES

Virtual office services can include mail handling, a prestigious address, and many additional services that are provided a’ la carte. Many providers specialize by industry. For example, Amata Office Suites provides call answering with client in-take for law firms and professional service companies. Using a provider that provides a phone and phone app eliminates the expense of sourcing a separate business phone provider.

Administrative support can include the use of professional administrative assistants, paralegals and virtual assistants. Taking advantage of these resources will reduce a company’s fixed expenses, reducing risk.

Access to conferencing facilities is another benefit to using a virtual office service. The most prestigious virtual office providers provide access to meeting rooms, with the latest conferencing technologies to host in-person and virtual meetings. This provides businesses access to prestigious meeting rooms when needed, without the need for a dedicated office space.

Speak with an Amata team member to find out how your firm can benefit with a virtual office program. Contact us today.

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Maximizing the Value of a Full-Time Employee

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Employee utilization rates may be the most ignored or misunderstood stat in small businesses and law firms. Instead of using quantifiable data, many small businesses rely on emotions or intuition to determine when it is time to hire a new employee.

What metrics is your company using to ensure an employees’ time is effectively utilized. Is there accurate data available to help determine when to make a new hire?

It is hard to imagine a law firm that generates revenue through billable hours hiring an additional lawyer if their current lawyers are only billing 10 hours each week.

EMPLOYEE UTILIZATION USING BILLABLE HOURS

We define employee utilization as the hours an employee is engaged in productive work divided by the total hours the employee is paid.

Generally, employees are paid for 2,080 hours annually (including vacation and sick time, excluding overtime). If you expect your employees to generate 1,352 billable hours each year, their utilization rate will be 65%.

Once an employee consistently reaches the utilization rate goal, it is time to hire an additional employee to continue growing your business. If the employee continuously fails to reach the utilization rate goal, it may be time to reevaluate if you have the best employee for the job.

ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO MEASURE EMPLOYEE UTILIZATION

For employees that do not generate revenue through billable hours, such as my companies accounting team members, require them to maintain a work log each day detailing what they worked on and how long it took. A simple spreadsheet is easy to create for each employee to log into throughout the day. This is a valuable tool for employees that work remotely and those that work in the office.

Understanding how much time employees spend on productive work versus time spent surfing the internet, emailing friends, and shopping will help companies increase productivity. Just knowing accountability measures are in place will quickly increase productivity among team members. A Google search on office worker productivity statistics may surprise you. The average office worker is productive 31% of their workday. In an 8 hour day, employees are not doing productive work for 5.5 hours, yet companies are paying for those hours.

BEST PRACTICES

To maximize employee utilization, here are some best practices to consider:

  1. Effective Workforce Planning
    Analyze your business needs, forecast workloads, and plan your workforce accordingly. This involves understanding the demands of different projects, departments, or seasons and aligning your staff resources accordingly.
  2. Clear Communication and Goal Setting
    Ensure that employees have a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations. Set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals with your employees.  This enables them to prioritize their tasks and utilize time effectively.
  3. Efficient Task Assignment
    Match employees’ skills, expertise, and interests with the tasks they handle. Assign tasks based on strengths and provide opportunities for growth and development.
  4. Optimize Work Processes
    Streamline workflows and eliminate unnecessary steps or bottlenecks that can hinder productivity. Encourage employees to provide input on process improvements and implement their suggestions when possible. This will lead to increased efficiency and reduce time wasting activities.
  5. Regular Performance Monitoring
    Implement a system to track and monitor employee performance, enabling management to identify areas where employees may be underutilized or overburdened. Provide constructive feedback and offer support to help them overcome challenges and improve performance.
  6. Training and Skill Development
    Invest in training programs and provide opportunities for employees to enhance their skills. This helps them become more versatile and capable of handling a broader range of tasks, improving their overall utilization.
  7. Flexibility and Cross-Functional Collaboration
    Promote a culture of flexibility and cross-functional collaboration. Encourage employees to share their skills, knowledge, and experiences with one another. Foster a dynamic and resourceful workforce that can adapt to changing needs and fill gaps in different areas.
  8. Effective Time Management
    Work with employees on how to set priorities, avoid multitasking, and minimize distractions. Encourage breaks to maintain a healthy work-life balance and avoid employee burnout.
  9. Technology and Automation
    Deploy tools to streamline repetitive tasks, minimize manual effort, and free up employees’ time. Implementing the right tools can significantly increase overall productivity and employee utilization.
  10. Recognition and Rewards
    Recognize and reward employees for their achievements and efforts. A positive and motivating work environment can boost employee morale, engagement, and overall productivity.

Remember, maximizing employee utilization is not synonymous with overworking employees. It is crucial employees are able to maintain a healthy work-life balance. An alternative to overworking employees or hiring new employees before revenues justify them is Amata’s on-demand virtual assistants, executive assistants and paralegals. Amata can assist with overflow work, back-up when a full-time staff member is out or on a temporary basis while the company is searching for a new full-time employee.

Would you like to speak with Amata team members to find someone that is a fit for you? Contact us today.

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