Law Times

PAGE 10 The highs and lows of virtual law offices FOCUS F BY JULIUS MELNITZER For Law Times But as Dorothy Brophy of To- ronto' or many lawyers seeking both independence and interesting work, the vir- tual law office is an excit- ing concept. Corp. sees it, the virtual office can also be a minefield. "Just because you can go online s Brophy Law Professional and register a deed doesn't mean that you should be doing real es- tate on your own," says Brophy, a corporate commercial lawyer who' is to have not just a virtual law of- fice but a virtual law firm at your disposal and you can do that by engaging the help of other trusted practitioners to provide advice in their specialty. s a sole practitioner. "The trick a good position to advise on the business of law, an area she sees from two perspectives: as a sole As it turns out, Brophy is in " practitioner who leſt the Bay Street world behind to build her own business and as a corporate lawyer who helps other legal pro- fessionals with their businesses. Brophy started practising at Blaney McMurtry LLP's Ottawa Aſterwards, she returned to Bay Street with what was then Ayles- worth Thompson before starting her own practice some 20 years ago. s clients. when it comes to the possibilities technology brings to the practice of law, says Brophy, is the fact that the fundamental elements of the business remain the same. To begin with, lawyers must What people oſten overlook still decide what business they're in, whether it be a specialist in a practice area, a volume-oriented real estate lawyer or as counsel. "This decision has important office in 1985 and then went in- house with one of the firm' ness lawyer draſting shareholder agreements, advising on legal structure, and even doing some business acquisitions can most likely function without a clerk or assistant. "You can contract out clerical As Brophy points out, a busi- work and relieve yourself of the constant overhead of keeping staff year-round, likely need junior associates more than they need assistants. "The junior can do the ground- By contrast, litigation lawyers " she says. work and you can advocate and provide strategic advice to clients," says Brophy. As well, being in a virtual of- fice doesn't necessarily mean that a lawyer practises effectively. Time management is as important as the technology used to execute it. For example, lawyers need to implications in determining your costs," says Brophy. consider whether they're putting their energy in the wrong place, resulting in time spent that they can't bill. actions have a positive effect on your client' "Working with checklists is fine, but sometimes judgment must be applied to determine what items can be discounted as not being cost-justifiable. "You have to be sure that your s objectives," she says. nology should take a back seat. "It' to keep up with the electronic tools available to them," says Bro- phy. But that's not to say that tech- s very important for lawyers " emphasizes the importance of subscribing to digital and online sources that provide up-to-date precedents and publications, as well as learning to use programs like Fast Company that allow the one-time input of client informa- tion as a basis for incorporating and organizing companies using proprietary management soſt- ware. "Soſtware of this kind allows you to do the mundane tasks More particularly, Brophy quickly and efficiently so that you can spend more time advising the client and structuring their busi- ness," says Brophy. To this end, Brophy has a sin- gular view of the lawyer's role in the modern world, particularly when advising small- and medi- um-sized enterprises. "In a very busy world, the role of the lawyer should be to reflect and offer wisdom to clients who are so driven by technology and market forces that they haven't taken the time to consider long- term strategy, with the relationship-building process. But it can't replace it. "While lawyers can now adver- Technology can even assist " she says. tise their availability in a myriad of ways, the business of law requires more than constant reminders that you are available, appreciation of clients for your skills and judgment and to do so, you need to meet with them." But people shouldn't confuse CANADIAN LAW LIST 2012 YOUR INSTANT CONNECTION TO CANADA'S LEGAL NETWORK Inside you will find: • an up-to-date alphabetical listing of more than 58,000 barristers, solicitors and Quebec notaries, corporate counsel, law firms and judges in Canada; • contact information for the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Canada, Federal Cabinet Ministers, departments, boards, commissions and Crown corporations; • legal and government contact information related to each province for the Courts of Appeal, Supreme Courts, County and District Courts, Provincial Courts, law societies, law schools, Legal Aid, and other law-related offices of importance. MORE THAN A PHONE BOOK Hardbound • Published February each year On subscription $149 • L88804-571-26084 One-time purchase $165 • L88804-571 • ISSN 0084-8573 Prices subject to change without notice,to applicable taxes and shipping & handling. Visit carswell.com or call 1.800.387.5164 for a 30-day no-risk evaluation CANADIAN LAW LIST CLL - 7.875x9.750.indd 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 12-09-07 11:24 AM "You must earn the trust and " says Brophy. November 26, 2012 • Law Times relationship building with net- working, which is also a necessity. As Brophy sees it, relationships are built with existing clients while networking targets new ones. "You never know when exist- ing clients will require less assis- tance and it' competitive pricing is key in the current economic climate. "If your client base is composed Relationships aside, however, " says Brophy. of medium-sized businesses, you can reduce your costs significantly by meeting at their offices and eliminating the need for high-end real estate, art, and support staff, says Brophy. "For all we hear about the " $600-per-hour lawyer who must be great to charge that much, there' composed of big banks and mul- tinationals who can routinely af- ford to pay that rate or more. So depending on the type of law firm you operate, $300 hourly can be a very competitive fee that produces a good living. s only a very niche market cost base is, however, revenue is necessary both in good times and bad. If a substantial portion of the revenue comes from economy- sensitive areas, Brophy suggests lawyers buffer their practices by developing competence in reces- sion-proof areas like wills and es- tates or insolvency work. Saving on taxes, of course, is No matter how low a lawyer's " the pipeline full, particularly in volume-oriented businesses that require a healthy complement of support staff, s important to keep also a good way of generating rev- enue. And like any good business- person, a practising lawyer should have a good tax plan. For her part, Brophy advises lawyers to con- sider the advantages of the profes- sional corporation structure. It al- lows practitioners to be employees of a corporation and contribute to an RRSP. It also allows retained earnings to accumulate in the company. LT

• Cover