In today’s cost-conscious legal market, there is a conflict between the law firm billable hour model and the clients’ desire to control legal costs. If you’re looking for a “win-win” solution, VortexLegal just might be able to solve this problem.
Alternative legal service provider VortexLegal helps law firms increase profitability and efficiency while, at the same time, helping corporate legal departments control and oftentimes reduce legal expenses associated with routine hearings. This has translated to savings of millions of dollars a year for companies that have large litigation costs.
Most legal departments and law firms must attend hearings that are so high-volume, routine, and predictable that nearly anyone with a law degree would be capable of handling. Many firms, though, are still using associates as well as more seasoned attorneys who struggle to meet their billables to attend these matters. Not only does this practice come at a high cost to clients, it perpetuates both the inefficient hourly business model and the retention of under-producing attorneys. It also prevents the attorneys from focusing on substantive work, which leads to dissatisfied attorneys who leave the firm in pursuit of finding more meaningful work. It doesn’t take an accounting expert to see that such an approach doesn’t make much sense. That’s where VortexLegal comes in.
VortexLegal’s nationwide network of local, vetted attorneys can handle these routine hearings, thus allowing the law firm’s attorneys to remain in the office to focus on substantive work that is 100% billable and collectible.
You can think of VortexLegal as an Uber for lawyers, especially in jurisdictions that are hearing intensive like California, New York, and Illinois. But rest assured, the company has a robust software and compliance program to ensure all the parties are fully prepared to represent you and your client.
How It Works
VortexLegal allows you to hire a local attorney, or “per diem,” through a single, secure platform. The simple, user-friendly system lets you have a national presence and representation without having to source, qualify and manage your own network of attorneys. VortexLegal takes care of that as well as the payroll!
Need “an associate for the day” to help you? No problem. Just login to the VortexLegal platform and select the kind of matter you need help with — you can currently choose from hearing coverage, examinations under oath, mediation or deposition coverage, and trial monitoring. Next, indicate the jurisdiction, the area of law involved, and who’s being represented. In the case of hearings, you also indicate which party is bringing the motion and what kind of hearing it is (for example, motion for summary judgment). Making things even easier, there is an API so you can integrate with your case management system and make reservations with the click of a button. The VortexLegal platform also features a very cool parsing tool which extracts the hearing information (date, time, location, etc.) from a Notice of Hearing and autopopulates the reservation form. The final step is providing instructions and the necessary supporting documents.
It’s really that simple. Once you submit the key information, VortexLegal assigns an attorney to your matter based on an algorithm that considers your compliance requirements and the attorney’s background and expertise. If you’ve used the service before and want to work with the same attorney over and over, you can set up preferences so you have consistency and build a relationship with that local attorney.
VortexLegal offers complete predictability with up-front, flat-rate pricing depending on where the services are taking place (coverage is nationwide, which is another great perk).
You may have your own network of local attorneys that you work with, but in this day and age of security breaches and lapses it’s important to consider an enterprise solution that eliminates potential vulnerabilities. VortexLegal’s platform allows you to manage your current attorneys on their platform so you can continue to work with your preferred attorneys while satisfying security requirements, all while saving money.
VortexLegal currently has over 7,500 attorneys registered in its system. Every registered attorney must have a minimum of three years of experience, though most are even more seasoned and have 8-12 years’ experience. Their roster includes mothers and semi-retired attorneys, former magistrates and judges who enjoy working in the “gig economy,” as well as solos and small law firms. Many in the VortexLegal network are located in suburban and rural areas. The company does background checks as well as bar status verifications and can produce compliance reports for client audits as needed. VortexLegal’s attorneys have attended over 250,000 hearings over the past eight years, so you can feel good about their stability and quality control.
Nationwide coverage and quick turnaround times are the final keys to making it a valuable service. While more preparation time is always better (as is the case with any attorney), you can get coverage on as little as 24 hours’ notice. There are also plenty of attorneys who cover areas outside the larger cities. Even if you have a lot of hearings locally, you must weigh the value of your time and determine whether it is wiser to attend a hearing or not. Similarly, if your clients only pay a percentage of your hourly rate for travel, you’re losing time to bill for substantive, 100% billable and collectible matters. So why not supplement your practice with a qualified, vetted attorney who can provide a cost savings to your client and increase the efficiency of your practice?
The Bottom Line
The days when clients blindly paid bills and never questioned expenses are long gone. In today’s competitive legal market, law firms need to focus on streamlining their practices and making as much of their work billable and collectible as possible. Unlike many other money-saving technologies that allow you to start seeing savings months or years down the road, VortexLegal offers an obvious way to impact your bottom line right away.
It’s time to work smarter. VortexLegal helps you do just that. Their cost-effective service handles the routine matters, so your attorneys can focus on what matters most — the high-end work that directly benefits both your clients and your bottom line.