The Satellite Secretary
Your Virtual Legal Assistant
Frequently Asked Questions:
FAQs

What is a Virtual Legal Assistant?

A Virtual Legal Assistant provides legal secretary assistance over the
Internet.  Although you would save the overhead costs if you used a
Virtual Legal Assistant full-time, we cannot perform every function, for
example - filing.  

Who uses a Virtual Legal Assistant?

Our services are ideally suited to small to medium sized firms or sole-
practitioners.  Many of our clients left firms to work from a home office.

Many sole-practitioners think that doing their own typing saves them
money, when, in fact, they are losing large sums in billable hours. If
they do not have sufficient work to fill out the day, their time would be
better spent marketing for new business, rather than typing.
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For small firms, we can provide secretarial services in lieu of staff away
sick, on vacation, at training sessions, or as an alternative to a staff
floater position. Considering a staffing increase?  Why not forego both
the capital costs for a desk and computer, and the ongoing costs for
training, salary and benefits?
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What can a Virtual Legal Assistant do for me?

With instructions (LSUC), a Virtual Legal Assistant can prepare all
manner of correspondence, pleadings, documentation or forms, in a
variety of specialized areas of law. We are familiar with Cyberbahn,
Teranet, and PC-Law. We can assist with the design of electronic
letterhead and other marketing materials. Our service is customized to
suit the needs of individual clients and we can produce your documents
in either Word or WordPerfect.

I already have the computer programs needed for my practice. Do I
need to supply The Satellite Secretary with a Licenced copy?

No, we can remotely connect to your computer to use your programs.
This has the added advantage of having all of your data and
precedents available to complete the work in a timely manner, as well as
the fact that the completed work will instantly be available to you.

How do I use a Virtual Legal Assistant?

We provide you with the tools needed and simple instructions.  Even
clients with limited computer skills are now frequent users of our
services. You provide us with your dictation and we will prepare
accurate documents and e-mail them back to you, together with our
invoice. The documents are then available for your review, any minor
amendments, and printing.

How soon will I get my completed work back?

Work is completed in the order received. We try to maintain an
immediate turn-around service. For example, if you submit 15 minutes
of dictation (equals about one hour of typing) you should expect to
receive it back in approximately 90 minutes, if not sooner.  High
incoming volumes rarely occur, but you will be immediately notified of
any possible delay.

The Satellite Secretary cannot allow a  large project to monopolize our
services to the detriment of our other clients.  Daily incoming work will
take priority over major projects that will be worked on continuously as
time permits.

I stopped doing dictation to avoid the seemingly endless back and forth
for amendments. How has The Satellite Secretary resolved this?

The use of crystal clear digital dictation all but eliminates audio errors.
All we ask is that you spell names, addresses, etc. Amendments usually
amount to afterthoughts or additions regarding new issues that have
since arisen. It is therefore faster for you to simply add a sentence or
paragraph. If stating your position on a new issue requires a page or
two, it would be faster for you to dictate.  Just indicate "amendment"
when submitting your new audio file - it will be handled on a Rush basis
- but billed at our regular rate.

What about my client’s confidentiality?

Your dictation is sent to us through our secure web-based portal. We
use encryption technology that is used to transfer medical records. For
added security, the audio files and documents containing your clients'
information are not stored on our hard-drive. We can provide you with
a confidentiality agreement, or execute your version, as you wish.

Still need more information?