The world has moved into the 21st Century, though attorneys still seem stuck in the days of faxes and 8-track cassettes! One of the reasons for this is that the law is rooted in tradition and “precedent” as a way of bringing order and predictability to a situation – something we learned in law school many years ago.
Because of the nature of their training, lawyers tend to think and act conservatively. And while that may be fine for the slow evolution of the “law,” it's a poor business model for how a law practice should function and it is not what clients expect any longer from their attorney.
At Serra Law Group we have adopted an innovative approach to offering legal services that uses the latest technology and the power of the internet. We call this approach Smart Law. Now we can offer our clients high quality legal services in a variety of formats at an affordable price. The advantages of our approach are best described in terms of Accessibility, Affordability and Approachability – what we call the Triple A's of Innovation:
Accessibility
Face it, the days of having to get into you car and meeting with someone across town to conduct business are slowly coming to an end. Most business meetings are conducted over the phone, via video conferencing, or Smart Law Legal Platform.
This is how most people do their banking, shop for gifts, and purchase airline tickets (even secure their own aisle seat!). If that is true in the business world, why not consult with your attorney the same way? Well now you can.
Through our Smart Law platform, you are now able to purchase legal services for a fixed fee based on the level of legal assistance you may need. For many of the simple things you need or have been putting off (like drafting wills or creating a Special Needs Trust) this service may be perfect for you. Our Smart Law platform is available to you 24/7/365 and help is only a click away.
If you need more assistance, our offices are set up to hold video conferencing or if you like you can come meet with us in person. We are not a “virtual” law firm and we do not simply sell legal forms like you would get at Staples or through LegalZoom. We are a traditional law firm (with actual offices that are pretty nice I might add) that happens to offer a variety of cost effective ways to purchase our legal services. Again, you decide how you wish to engage our services and interact with us and you control the cost.
We have extended office hours on weekdays and are available for consultation on weekends.
Affordability
We all know lawyers are expensive and that's usually because they maintain fancy offices and fail to innovate as a way of reducing their costs and overhead. And because they are slow to change, they tend to continue to conduct business the old fashion way since that has worked for them in the past. Unfortunately, while that may be appealing to the attorney, it does not help to drive down the cost of legal services. So, what keeps legal fees affordable?
It's simple – low overhead and the use of innovative technology as a way of delivering legal services to a client based on the particular needs of that client. While fancy offices may boost the attorney's ego, at the end of the day it does nothing to meet the legal needs of the client at an affordable price. Indeed it does the opposite and the client is no better off (and will probably pay too much).
What separates Serra Law Group from most law firms is that we measure our fees in terms of the value of our services, just as you would expect. For instance, our Smart Law platform offers services at extremely affordable flat fee rates that can be paid for on line using a credit card. Even if your matter requires additional legal advice, you can purchase this service online as well. The amount you pay is directly related to the work required to handle your matter.
Or you can choose to engage us in the traditional manner where we enter into a retainer agreement for either a flat fee or based on an hourly rate. Many of our services are offered at a flat fee rate so you will know the total cost up front and there will be no surprises at the end of your case.
Other matters where it is difficult to predict the amount of legal work involved (for example complex litigation) may be handled hourly based on a retainer, but even in those cases we will give you a good faith estimate of what your total legal fee is likely to be.
In short, we have a lot to offer, and we provide it in a way that is fair and transparent.
Approachability
The other pet peeve people have about lawyers is that they cannot reach them or their calls go unanswered. Nothing is more frustrating than having your calls go unanswered. Not only is this poor professionalism, but it is bad business that leads to disgruntled and unhappy clients. But today, there are no good excuses for not getting back to people.
Technology, of course, affords us the ability to stay connected with one another and provides us with many ways by which we can communicate. No longer are we tied to a landline phone or a physical office in order to respond to a client's call or concern.
At Serra Law Group, we make it a priority to respond to our clients as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours, and to make sure they receive a meaningful response to their question or concern. Our professional staff has access to your electronic file at all times so if the attorney is unable to get back to you that day, someone will respond to your question in a timely manner.
Also, as part of our Smart Law platform, you can create a secured client portal through which you will be able to communicate with our office and view your documents at any time you like. In fact, once you are a client, your documents can be stored in your client portal for future reference which you will be able to access from any computer with internet access.
No longer will you need to spend time searching your records for a copy of your latest will or business agreement, it will all be neatly stored for you in your client portal.