What is a Virtual Assistant (VA)? 
 
In a conventional office, they would be referred to as an 'administrative assistant/paralegal' but to the 'on-line' world, they are called 'virtual assistants/paralegals'. They are both the same type of people but with one major difference: a virtual assistant is self-employed, works from their own office and uses their own equipment instead of being physically present in your office, using your equipment and being trained by you or other staff to carry out the work.

What do we do/How do you benefit?

• We are orientated to meet your personal needs, available on an “as needed basis”.
• We treat your business as if it was our own, becoming very involved.
• We already have experience and are well educated. minimal training required.
• You only pay for the work done, you are not liable to pay tax, national insurance costs and benefits, equipment, or supplies as you would when taking on a new employee.
• You have the peace of mind that any deadlines will be met, we are prepared to meet all of your business requirements.
• You will not have to make room in the office for an extra person, or relocate completely if it was necessary!

How does this work?

We can handle all your firm's Bankruptcy needs.

1. Entering data in the petition
2. Configure the exemptions
3. Completing the Means test
4. E-filing the petition

All you have to do is

1. Initially meet with the clients
2. Review the petition for accuracy
3. Advise us of any corrections
4. Attend the Meeting of Creditors

Thus freeing you up to handle all the important matters that come in.

Would a Virtual Assistant Be Useful To Me? Can you relate to any of the following scenarios:

• You generally need a personal assistant or paralegal.
• Delegating work to existing staff will affect their ability to meet current deadlines.
• You need to 'free' some of your own time to concentrate on other areas of your business.
• Your current staff does not have the skills to complete the task(s) in question.
• You have limited funds to purchase extra equipment (e.g. PC's) to complete certain tasks.
• Your premises does not have enough space to accommodate another person

How Much is Your Time Worth?

One of the most common excuses that business owners use when explaining why they don’t use a virtual assistant is, “It costs too much.”

At a US average of $30 to $50 per hour, it may look that way at first glance.   Believe it or not, you are most likely to be saving yourself money even if the hourly rate seems scary. There are a lot of factors that contribute to a financial savings, but lets focus on your time.  

Just what is ‘your’ time worth? What is your hourly rate? And how many hours are you spending on administrative tasks that aren’t bringing in more business? Multiply the two and this is what it’s costing you to do those tasks. But wait, now add on the revenue that you could have been generating by using those hours for income generating tasks. This gives you a more complete picture of just how much ‘doing it yourself’ may be costing you. I bet it’s much more than what it would have cost you to have a virtual assistant do it, isn’t it? 

So before you tell yourself you can’t afford a virtual assistant, seriously ask yourself “What’s my time worth?” 

Why do you only offer services directly to attorneys and their law firms, never to consumers and debtors?

The services being offered require the direct supervision of an attorney or their law firms because of liability issues. Legal assistants and paralegals are individuals who assist lawyers in the delivery of legal services. We cannot give legal advice, represent a client in court, set a fee, or accept a case, which functions are generally considered the practice of law. Working under the supervision of an attorney, the legal assistant's work product is merged with and becomes part of the attorney work product.

Would you consider broadening your legal services currently being provided?

Absolutely, I am interested in all areas of law and will perform any function necessary to provide a meaningful and successful business. Even though my initial education, experience and training focus on bankruptcy, I am open and flexible in discussing other legal opportunities and different areas of the law.

Do you offer Direct Referrals?

If you happen to visit my website and realize that you may not need my services or already utilize my services and know someone else that can benefit from my services, I offer a referral discount. Please e-mail me at kimberly@virtualbankruptcyservices.net and I will personally send you and the referral an offer you cannot refuse.  

Do you offer other VA non-legal services?

Absolutely, do you have some projects set aside that you never have time to complete? This is the time to brainstorm, this is the time to hire a professional to do things right. I can step in at a moments notice and take up where you left off or create something spectacular.

I encourage you to consider the idea of using a Virtual Assistant; no project is too small or too big. Newsletters, blogs and spreadsheets come to my mind, I have the experience to do and manage most things. I can do almost anything an “in house” assistant or Paralegal can do without the hassle of training, purchasing office/computer supplies, finding dedicated room and dealing with payroll/tax services for a new employee.

A few articles you may find interesting to read, I feel the following people deserve credit for the work they have created. Victoria Ring from 713training wrote an article describing the 29 Advantages for an Attorney to Hire a Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant. Tina Hilton from Clerical Advantage Virtual Assistance Services, wrote an article describing the top 100 ways to utilize a Virtual Assistant, Teresa Morrow from Key Business Partners wrote an article about Understanding How Virtual Assistants Work and Doreen R. Patrick, MVA, ACS, CIVA from Virtual Business Partners wrote an article describing what Virtual Assistants can do in one hour. Check these out!