KNOW, the Magazine for Paralegals Summer 2014 | Page 31

workplace for you. In order to be successful If you do not have excellent written and oral as a virtual paralegal, you need to have some communication skills, you will find it very difvery specific skills. These include: ficult to convince any attorney that you draft pleadings, motions, and correspondence that • The ability to work independently. are clear, concise, and free of grammatical errors. When you work in an office, your boss is available to answer your questions and offer • Self discipline. Making yourself work quite a bit of guidance. However, as a virtual can be a challenge when you are self-emparalegal, you must figure most things out ployed. There is no one to make sure you start on your own. work at a certain time and no one who cares when you knock off for the day. • Superior time management capabilities. When you have no boss expecting you to arrive at work at a certain time and stay if you are not until the end of the day, it can be difficult to manage your time in a way that ensures you keeping up with get all of your work done. Particularly when current technology, you work from a home office. Shelley M. Riseden, a seasoned virtual paralegal, put it like this: “The biggest challenge to working as a virtual paralegal is making work fit in with the rest of my day. I have a husband, daughter, 3 dogs, a cat, 4 birds and a house to take care of, so it is sometimes very difficult to make enough time to forget about all of that and just work.” • Competency using the internet, various software programs and the latest technology. Let’s face it, if you do not do well with the internet, have trouble learning to use new software programs, don’t know how to set up a fax machine or un-jam a printer, and aren’t sure what you need to do to access your voicemail – a virtual job doing anything may not be right for you. • Command of the English language. When you run your own business, you spend a large amount of time communicating with potential clients, selling yourself and your services. updated your skills, can’t produce enough billable hours or anything that may impede your performance, the handwriting is already on the wall. It’s just probably not the Virtual Paralegal who is replacing you. 31