A STRATEGY FOR INCREASING PROFITABILITY
There are many ways to measure success, but here we are focused on profitability. How would your life change if you could drive down expenses, produce more work, and increase profits? Amata has built a business around this very question, employing strategies to take advantage of leverage and scale.
In business, we leverage capital, technologies, and staff to create exponential profits. For example, at GM, a tremendous number of resources are put into creating a more efficient jet engine that costs airlines less money, yet they generate greater profits for GM. At a law firm, the traditional thinking is that to generate greater profits you either bill more hours or increase your hourly billable rate, both of which goes against the best interest of the client.
The solution to increasing profits, while serving your client’s best interest lies in leverage and scale. By leveraging other people’s resources, you are able to provide more work product to your clients, at a lower rate, while increasing your profitability. The key is utilization – only paying for time that is billable to your clients, eliminating all under-utilized time and expenses.
The basic formula for utilization rate is pretty simple: it’s the number of billable hours divided by the total number of available hours (x 100). So, if a paralegal on your staff billed for 32 hours from a 40-hour week, they would have a utilization rate of 80%. Which means you need to pay for the under-utilized time, in this example 8 hours, from your profits. By employing the paralegal team at Amata, which acts as an extension of your law firm, you are only paying for the time they do billable work for you. So, in the example above, you would only be paying for the 32 hours that you are able to pass along to your client, increasing profits by the 8 hours that you do not have to pay for. By using leverage in this way, you are able to scale your business and profits without placing constraints on your time.
Besides increasing profitability, other benefits of using Amata’s staff as an extension of your law firm include having a diverse and experienced team working on projects, access to software tools you do not have to pay for or maintain, and savings associated with not having to pay for employee overhead, including computers, desk space, or insurance benefits.
AMATA ATTORNEY SUPPORT SERVICES
PARALEGAL SERVICES
Amata provides our clients on-site paralegals, virtual assistants and legal admins to assist with document preperation, vital records retrival, research local court rules/procedures, eFiling, court docket searches, retrieval of documents and social media posts. Upon joining Amata clients receive an instant line of credit when our team retrieves vital records or handles other tasks at the clerk's office.
Check out the inexhaustible ways our team acts as an extension of your law firm.
LIVE RECEPTIONIST
No more robo or sales calls live or in your voicemail box. More clients. Fewer interruptions. Professional receptionists engaging your clients, screening your calls, serving as an extension of your law firm.
According to a Gallup poll, customers who are fully engaged represent a 23% premium in terms of profitability, revenue, and relationship growth over the average client. Clients call attorneys when they are in need, and in today’s culture, they expect an immediate response or they go somewhere else. Never miss an opportunity to help a new client again. Let Amata’s team of receptionists engage your clients when you are not available.
The Amata Phone App
With the Amata VoIP phone app, you can make and receive calls, text your clients without giving out your personal cell phone number. make video calls, and control your desk phone from the app itself. You can easily transfer calls, chat with colleagues, change your status, and see your team’s availability.
OFFICE SPACE-AS-A-SERVICE
Office space should be consumed and paid for the same way we use and pay for software. You wouldn't purchase 5 licenses of your practice managment software when you only need 2, so why do we sign long-term leases for space with 5 offices when we only need 2? Then enter into long term contracts that often times put you in a position to consume what could be billable hours being a landlord?
Amata has created an environment where you can enjoy the comradery of other attorneys, meet with clients in an impressive law office setting, and enjoy coming to the office. If an associate leaves or joins your firm, you can give up or add offices as needed. It’s all about only paying for what you need, not wasting money on office space you are not using in anticipation of growing into the space.
Virtual Office Space
A unique business address. Staff to inform you when important correspondence arrive, scan or forward mail. Professional receptionists answering your calls. Elegantly appointed conference rooms and day offices available on-demand. Paralegals, virtual assistants and legal admins available to make bank deposits, retrieve vital documents at the County clerks office, make social media posts or drop off a courtesy copy to a judge. A virtual office at Amata provides all these things and more, at very affordable prices.
These services will allow you to:
Engage New Clients- Deliver a Personalized Experience
- Build Client Loyalty
- Enjoy The Practice Of Law
- Create a Work/Life Balance
- Run Your Law Firm From Anywhere
Try Amata Today!
Learn why more than 750+ lawyers rely on Amata to support their law practice.
The Amata Difference
Amata is more than just a services company; we strive to help our clients maintain a work/life balance; a harmony between the different aspects of their lives. We work with some of the smartest, intellectually driven individuals in the world, most of whom find comfort in learning new things and meeting intellectual challenges head-on. Our role is not to impede them in meeting those challenges, but to help them by introducing new technologies and business concepts to work smarter, the support to remove tasks that are slowing them down and an environment where they have support mechanisms in place.
It is important for lawyers to be involved in organizations that provide them resources to grow their book of business. In most practices, more than 80% of an attorney’s work is referred to them from other attorneys specializing in different practice areas. We set out to create an environment that fosters fellowship among attorneys who share common attitudes, interests and goals. By hosting social events, CLE programs and new social platforms Amata has created an environment where lawyers from more than 27 different legal practice disciplines can interact, build friendships and share opportunities.
How many times have we heard “change is slow to come in the legal industry”? This may be true for the industry as a whole, but creativity is highly sought after by clients and while lawyers are valued for their sharp, analytical skills, logical thinking and attention to detail, the best lawyers are able to present creative solutions. That is why our team of innovation experts are always searching for companies with new technologies and platforms in which to introduce to our community through the Amata Marketplace.
It takes a village to build a business and that’s exactly what a law firm is; a business. Sometimes lawyers get caught up in wanting to help their clients, to ply the knowledge and skills they honed in law school and throughout their career, that they take their eye off the business of a law practice. Having experienced support staff always on-call allows you to hand off tasks better suited to someone not practicing law. How easy is it to put off entering your billing or posting on social media or requesting certified copies at the County Clerk's office?
Big law firms understand how to create the infrastructure that allows their attorneys to focus their time and energy on taking care of their clients. That is why attorneys at AM100 law firms are among the highest paid in the world. Their attorneys rely on a team of receptionists, paralegals and administrative assistants to handle the time-consuming work that needs to be done for them to be successful. For the attorneys that have chosen to work in small and midsize law firms, we are their team. We take great pride in seeing attorneys at Amata succeed and eagerly do whatever it takes to support them.
"If you're a lawyer who has his own practice, and is looking for more than just office space but a level of elite professionalism, that's here."
The Fakhouri Firm
THE AMATA STORY
From a bootstrapped startup handling litigation copy work and small print jobs, Amata quickly took on the job of in-house printing for the American Bar Association. Yes, remember those large printed volumes of bound books you use to receive at ABA association meetings? We printed them!
Since our beginnings we have always put clients first, doing whatever it takes to serve those that have trusted us with their business. Building long-standing relationships and friendships is at the core of everything we do. Always looking for innovative ways to help law firms, we have evolved our business many times over the years, staying ahead of the changing legal landscape and providing attorneys what they need to continue providing their clients creative solutions.
MEET OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Our team is dedicated to helping attorneys like you succeed
Ron Bockstahler
CEO & Founder
Starting Amata was all about finding a work/life balance for Ron. That is why helping lawyers improve their quality of life is a driving force behind Amata’s work. Ron enjoys his time traveling the country with his wife and 6 children and competing in Ironman races and other outdoor adventures.
Simona Rasocha
Controller
Prior to becoming Controller, Simona managed multiple Amata locations, building strong client relationships and an expansive understanding of the business. She recently bought a beautiful RV and has plans to see all of America through its windows, with her favorite travel companions (her husband and three daughters) by her side.
Beth Lestingi
Operations Manager
General Manager of 161 N Clark, 77 W Wacker & 180 N LaSalle
Beth opened and ran Amata's very first legal center, 180 N LaSalle, the location which changed the company forever; and she still manages it today. She is close with her clientele and has an incredible tenure-rate. Her weeks are finalized with a glass of red wine and time spent with friends and her puppy, Maddie.
Erin Arnoux
Vice President of Services
General Manager of 150 N Michigan Avenue
With a previous six years of employee training in retail management and the hospitality industry, Erin takes pride in leading the Legal Support team at Amata Law Office Suites by building customer experience-based training with clear goals that coupled with revenue-based objectives. Outside of work she sharpens her wit with classes at The Second City and freelances as a makeup artist.
Grant Drager
Vice President of Business Development
General Manger of 150 S Wacker
Grant developed his now innate sales skills while working at his family's racetrack in his childhood selling programs; grabbing people's attention by yelling "Lucky number programs, one dollar!" Within eighteen months, Grant increased the occupancy level of his two locations, bringing them both to over 95%.
Norm Ross
Client Care Manager
A customer service specialist, Norm Ross has served Amata clients for over 10 years and has a passion for people and client satisfaction. Norm brings over 25 years of legal industry experience to his role as center manager at Amata’s 150 S. Wacker Drive location. When he’s not serving his clients, Norm is a father and grandfather of 2 active boys. Norm enjoys spending time with family, traveling, writing, reading and watching sports.
The Amata Legal Community
Attorneys Strong
Practice Areas
of lead shares each year
Since opening in 2002, we’ve been committed to serving the legal industry, supporting our team members, and helping those in need.
Team members at Amata are a happy, loving, and caring group that is always looking for ways to support our community. Throughout the past 20 years, we have donated our time, money, and skills to helping those fighting for a cause. Check out some of the organizations we are currently working with and let us know if you want to recommend other groups for our team members to work with.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Community is more than the lawyers you build relationships with at Amata. It also means having access to exclusive offers to a range of services focused on helping your law firm grow. Our team of purchasing experts have carefully selected only the best companies in their field and negotiated discount pricing for our clients. Visit Amata’s partner marketplace and find the partner best suited to assist your law practice.
When you are growing your law practice, you look for lawyers you enjoy working with and that can assist you in growing your book of business. We want the same thing and that is why we offer incentives and referral bonus’ to lawyers that refer other lawyers to Amata.
At Amata we believe that happy and friendly team members create an environment everyone can enjoy and a culture of support and caring. We value an inclusive workplace that celebrates our team members’ unique personalities, passions and talents; creating an open culture of service to our clients. Experience how Amata’s unique approach to the business of law allows you to enjoy your work in the legal field and experience unlimited growth and development opportunities.
FAQs
Learn more about the details of Amata’s attorney support services, phone answering, virtual office programs and flexible office options. Our frequently asked questions cover most everything from porting phone numbers to obtaining a death certificate at the Clerk’s Office.
