The person who handles your inbox, your calendar and your client files will not sit down the hall, so you cannot judge them by watching them work. You judge them by what they have done, what they show you on a small task and what their references say. ABA Formal Opinion 08-451 says a lawyer who uses outside help should consider reference checks and an investigation of the person's background, along with the background of any placement agency involved.
Key Takeaways
- Write down the tasks, the weekly hours and the software before you contact anyone.
- Marketplaces leave the screening to you, while managed services and recruiters do part of it for a fee.
- Test communication on real work: a short video call, a written summary and a deadline.
- Check references and work samples, ask what "certified" means and get a confidentiality agreement signed before sharing a file.
- Treat the first weeks as a trial with milestones.
Identify Your Needs
Make a list of every task you want off your desk, whether it happens daily, weekly or at month end. Don't skip the small ones. It might help to keep a note for a week, just to be sure nothing is missing. Then sort the list into administrative support, research, document preparation and client communication, because each calls for a different kind of person.
Next, set the hours. Decide how many a week you need and which part of the day should overlap with yours. List the software the person must already know, such as your case management system. Add the limits too: a legal assistant never gives legal advice, and a lawyer supervises the person's work.
Research Potential Virtual Legal Assistants
Four routes lead to a remote assistant. Freelance marketplaces such as Upwork and Fiverr list individual freelancers, and the screening is yours to do; Fiverr's help center describes its Pro tier as a hand-vetted group. Managed services such as BELAY and Delegated do the matching for you, and BELAY's page for law firms describes a dedicated, U.S.-based assistant. LawClerk lists freelance attorneys, so it fits research and drafting that needs a lawyer. A recruiter like us finds candidates, and you hire the person directly.
Our guides to the best platforms to hire a virtual legal assistant and the best virtual legal assistant companies compare them. When an intermediary is involved, Opinion 08-451 says a lawyer may wish to ask about its hiring practices, since they tell you about the people who will see client information.
Assess Communication and Collaboration Skills
Test communication with the work itself. Schedule a short video call, ask the candidate to summarize a one-page document in writing afterward and see how quickly they answer a follow-up question. The table shows what to look for.
| Criteria | Strong | Moderate | Weak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face-to-Face Communication | Articulate, professional demeanor | Generally clear, some room for improvement | Difficulty expressing ideas concisely |
| Virtual Collaboration | Proactive, responsive, adept with online tools | Somewhat engaged, occasional delays in responses | Struggles with remote workflows |
| Remote Response Time | Replies promptly, available as needed | Occasional delays, requires reminders | Slow to respond, difficult to reach |
A strong candidate confirms what they understood and says when something is unclear.
Evaluate Virtual Assistant’s Expertise and Experience
Check the person's background: legal education, experience in your area of law and the software they have used. Ask them to share their screen and walk through a task in your case management system, and call two references. Request a work sample with the client details removed.
If a candidate says "certified paralegal," ask which body awarded it, and treat a vague answer as a red flag. According to the ABA, certifications come from professional associations such as NALA and NALS, and the ABA does not certify individual paralegals. The word is also used loosely for a course certificate.
Then ask about safeguards: which device the person works on, where files are stored and who else uses the computer. Our post on security and compliance concerns in legal assistant outsourcing has the full checklist.
Consider Pricing and Service Models
Marketplaces bill by the hour or the project, managed services quote their own plans and a recruiter charges a placement fee. Through us you pay a one-time $1,997 recruitment fee and then the assistant's monthly salary directly. Whatever the model, get three things in writing: the monthly total, the scope of work and what happens if either side ends the arrangement. Ask about extras up front, such as charges for added hours.
Implement a Trial Period
Treat the first weeks as a trial. Set milestones that show whether the assistant is getting up to speed: the inbox sorted by the end of week one, the calendar owned by week two and one routine task done without corrections by the end of the month. Judge the work by tasks finished on time, errors found in review and reply speed.
If the person is not a fit, our replacement terms give you room: we replace unsuccessful hires in the first 3 months at no extra cost.
Hold a short review at the end of week one, while the mistakes are still small.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Typical Turnaround Time for Virtual Legal Assistant Services?
It depends on the task, and you set it. Agree a response window for each kind of work, such as same-shift replies to routine emails and a stated deadline for research, and write it into the task list. One person works one shift, so settle how it overlaps with your day.
Do Virtual Legal Assistants Provide Ongoing Training and Support?
It depends on the provider, so ask what training is given before placement and what the firm is expected to cover. Training on your own forms, software and habits falls to the firm in any case, and a comment to Rule 5.3 expects the lawyer to give nonlawyer assistants instruction and supervision on the ethical side of the job.
How Do I Ensure the Security of My Firm’s Confidential Information?
Give the assistant a login of their own, turn on multi-factor authentication, keep files in your storage and sign a written confidentiality agreement, which Opinion 08-451 calls strongly advisable. The opinion also says to check that an outside provider does not work for adversaries on the same or substantially related matters. Rule 1.6(c) asks the lawyer for reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized disclosure.
Can Virtual Legal Assistants Handle Court Filings and Appearances?
They can prepare filings, and a lawyer reviews and signs them. The ABA says paralegals generally may not represent clients in court, take depositions or sign pleadings, so appearances stay with a lawyer. An assistant can organize exhibits, track deadlines and assemble the documents for e-filing.
How Do I Transition From an In-House Assistant to a Virtual One?
Move one task at a time, and overlap the two people for a few weeks. Write down how the current assistant does each task, give the new one access to one system at a time and hold a short daily check-in at first. Keep client files in firm storage throughout, since Opinion 498 warns that files on a staff member's personal computer may not be retrievable when a client asks for them.
Final Thought
Before you interview anyone, write the three tasks the new person will own in the first month and the small test you will give each finalist. Bring both to a free 30-minute consultation, where you define your tasks and needs.