Opening Business Opportunities in the Legal Virtual Industry: Critical Insights from Pooja Mehta

Opening Business Opportunities in the Legal Virtual Industry: Critical Insights from Pooja Mehta
Photo Credit: Pooja Mehta

Entrepreneurship in the virtual legal industry is changing how legal services are offered and delivered. As a traditionally rigid and slow-to-change industry, law firms across America, including Dalal and Mehta, were forced to reinvent themselves in the post-COVID era. Taking on this challenge, many, including senior partner Pooja Mehta, have invested in digital development and embraced the shift towards virtual legal practices.

With the emergence of COVID-19, Pooja initially faced doubts about shifting her traditional office role to a virtual model by the end of 2020. Questions like ‘Who will come?’ and ‘How will I be found?’ troubled her. However, as the saying goes, ‘If you build it, they will come,’ and it proved true with her work.

Virtual practices offer the best of both worlds, enabling attorneys like Mehta to stay connected with their communities and maintain a local presence while tapping into a global talent pool for recruitment and client sourcing; it also makes this model suitable for individual needs and provides a seamless work-life balance. As a mother of young children, Mehta rarely saw them due to her long travels. She now simultaneously puts her family and the company through virtual practice first.

Establishing a similar company involves looking at legal and ethical compliance responsibilities. Understanding the laws relating to virtual legal services, client privacy, and data security is essential. This means consulting with local bar associations and national laws/associations. Investments in technology are crucial, focusing on secure communication tools, video conferencing platforms, case management software, and document collaboration tools to ensure seamless collaboration among national/international staff. Security measures such as cyber insurance, secure cloud storage, and encrypted client onboarding processes are necessary to protect customer information from identity theft. Over time, the virtual practice may also need to invest in an IT company to maintain data security.

Starting such a project can seem daunting, but doing it step by step helps manage the process. Mehta saw early failure as a lesson and learned. She started her journey by switching to a primarily virtual consultation model, gradually marketing it more effectively to her clients. Three years later, she only needs to visit the office a few times a month.

Focusing on people and technology, Mehta invested in VoIP phone lines and hired internationally. At first, she used staffing agencies and eventually started hiring independently. Knowing she didn’t have to make this journey alone, she looked for resources and support systems. One of their first hires was an office manager specializing in virtual operations, helping build internal systems and vendor sourcing for the virtual practice.

In 2024, Pooja Mehta’s law firm will stand as a model of success, with a team of national and international professionals helping clients achieve their immigrant dreams. Mehta spends more time with her family, has worry-free holidays, and has an increased presence in daily life due to its legal practice, which appears to be flourishing.

Published by: Aly Cinco

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