{"id":3846,"date":"2019-10-23T15:00:51","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T19:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/conversational.com\/?p=3846"},"modified":"2022-10-18T10:24:28","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T14:24:28","slug":"why-solo-and-small-firm-attorneys-should-never-answer-the-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conversational.com\/why-solo-and-small-firm-attorneys-should-never-answer-the-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Solo and Small Firm Attorneys Should Never Answer the Phone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Solo and small firm attorneys<\/strong> are unique in the legal industry. The level of service they offer often surpasses that of larger firms with multiple partners and clients often receive more attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you\u2019re interested in managing your time well and creating efficient processes as a solo and small firm attorney, you\u2019re going to have to let go of some duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the duties solo and small firm attorneys must let go of is call answering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Solo and Small Firm Attorneys Should Never Answer the Phone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Solo and small firm attorneys should never answer the phone. Before you shrug this off and say, \u201cAnswering the phone every time it rings saves me from making dozens of callbacks later,\u201d<\/em> think about this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you spend just 5 minutes on the phone with a client or caller each time the phone rings and you receive 10 calls per day, that\u2019s 50 minutes you\u2019re spending on the phone handling matters that could be better handled by an administrative professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly a full hour of your workday goes to just providing basic information, updating clients on case progress, and speaking to friends and sales people.<\/strong> For solo and small firm attorneys, an hour is a lot of time to waste. Think of the higher return on investment you get from spending your time on cases and compare it to spending an hour on the phone each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s inefficient for your firm. Even if you\u2019re 100% solo and think, \u201cThere\u2019s no one else but me to answer the phone,\u201d<\/em> there are a multitude of options available to you. One of the best \u2013 and what we\u2019re here to provide \u2013 is hiring a virtual receptionist to handle your calls for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of calls law firms receive<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

An article on the American Bar Association blog details three types of calls law firms receive on a daily basis. They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n