Lawyers are not known for being the most tech-savvy professionals. Nevertheless, every day the milestone of having more Virtual Legal Assistants to remotely help a law firm remotely is becoming a reality. Law firms in the Virtual Latinos community are in desperate need of Virtual Legal Assistants, who help them by reducing costs, saving time with administrative work, scaling the business through digital marketing outsourcing, having bilingual resources for all their clients, and enabling the use of new cloud-based technologies. The amount of benefits that lawyers have found with our Virtual Assistants has inspired us to create this course.
About the Course
The “Introduction to the Legal Industry” Course is a comprehensive program that equips participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel as remote legal support professionals. Throughout the course, students will gain a thorough understanding of the roles and capabilities of Virtual Legal Assistants, explore the different types of law practiced in the United States, learn best practices for working remotely in a law firm setting, and acquire valuable tips and tricks for successfully securing a remote VLA position. This course is ideal for individuals interested in leveraging their legal expertise in a remote work environment, as it provides essential insights and strategies for excelling in this specialized field.
Course Outline
The course is divided into 8 modules, each to demonstrate the capabilities and benefits that a Virtual Legal Assistant can offer across various verticals within law firms. Here’s an overview of the modules and their main topics:
Module 1 -Introduction to VLA: Learn what a Virtual Legal Assistant can do at a law firm and get an overview of the role.
- Topic 1: Introduction to the Legal Industry
- Topic 2: Introducing Myself
- Topic 3: Paralegal vs VLA
- Topic 4: Responsibility of a VLA
- Topic 5: What VLAs Can Not Do
- Topic 6: Benefits of Becoming a VLA
- Topic 7: Career Opportunities at a Law Firm
- Topic 8: Skill Sets to be Successful
Module 2 – How to Succeed as a VLA: Learn some tips to succeed as a Virtual Legal Assistant and the best practices to work at a law firm.
- Topic 1: Preparing For Your Day
- Topic 2: Time Management Best Practices
- Topic 3: Importance of Ethics
- Topic 4: Communicating With Clients
- Topic 5: Avoid Providing Legal Advice
- Topic 6: Calendaring Events and Deadlines
- Topic 7: How to Best Use Case Management Systems
- Topic 8: Most Used Case Management Systems
Module 3 – Introduction to the Legal Industry: Get an overview of the different types of law practices in the US, and learn legal terminology that applies to all.
- Topic 1: The United States Legal System
- Topic 2: Intro to Criminal Defense Law
- Topic 3: Intro to Civil Law
- Topic 4: Differences in Criminal and Civil Law
- Topic 5: Legal Terminology
- Topic 6: Understanding Legal Practice Types
Module 4 – Personal Injury: Learn how Personal Injury Law works in the US, its process, components, and terminology.
- Topic 1: Introduction to Personal Injury
- Topic 2: Personal Injury Case Types
- Topic 3: Personal Injury Phases
- Topic 4: Determining Liability
- Topic 5: Finding Coverage
- Topic 6: Establishing the Damage Model
- Topic 7: Importance of Medical Treatment
- Topic 8: Writing Demands
- Topic 9: Negotiation Process
- Topic 10: Settlement Disbursements
- Topic 11: Litigation
- Topic 12: Role of a VLA in Personal Injury
- Topic 13: Personal Injury Terminology
Module 5 – Family Law: Learn how Family Law works in the US, its process, components, and terminology.
- Topic 1: Introducing Family Law
- Topic 2: Family Law Cases
- Topic 3: Steps in a Family Law Case
- Topic 4: Family Law Original Petition
- Topic 5: Family Law Service of Process
- Topic 6: Answer and Counter Petition
- Topic 7: Mediation in Family Law
- Topic 8: Temporary Orders
- Topic 9: Family Law Discovery
- Topic 10: Family Law Trial
- Topic 11: Family Law Entry
- Topic 12: Key to Success
- Topic 13: Billable Time Family Law
- Topic 14: Family Law Terminology
Module 6 – Criminal Defense: in this module, we will cover Criminal Law, the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor, as well as the components and process for Criminal Law in the US.
- Topic 1: Intro to Criminal Law
- Topic 2: Criminal Defense Case Types
- Topic 3: Misdemeanors vs Felonies
- Topic 4: Representing Potentially Guilty Clients
- Topic 5: Arraignment and Bail
- Topic 6: Pre-trial Hearings
- Topic 7: Criminal Defense Discovery
- Topic 8: Plea Bargaining
- Topic 9: Criminal Defense Trial
- Topic 10: Verdict
- Topic 11: Sentencing
- Topic 12: Appeal Process
- Topic 13: Billing and Fees in Criminal Defense
- Topic 14: How to Be Successful in Criminal Defense
- Topic 15: Criminal Defense Terminology
Module 7 – Immigration Law: Learn how Immigration Law works in the US, the different types of visas available, its components, and terminology.
- Topic 1: Intro to Immigration Law
- Topic 2: Immigration Process
- Topic 3: Common Forms in Immigration Law
- Topic 4: Types of Visas
- Topic 5: Family-Based Immigration
- Topic 6: Employment-Based Visas
- Topic 7: Humanitarian Relief Visas
- Topic 8: Billing in Immigration
- Topic 9: Tips to be Successful in Immigration Law
- Topic 10: Immigration Terminology
Module 8 – Securing a position at a law firm: Learn tips and recommendations to approach interviews at law firms and have a better opportunity of getting hired by our clients.
- Topic 1: Define Your Why
- Topic 2: Answering Interview Questions
- Topic 3: Asking Questions in Your Interview
- Topic 4: Utilizing Your Knowledge From This Course
- Topic 5: Follow Up With a Thank You Email
- Topic 6: Thank You For Taking This Course
Benefits of Taking This Course
- Reach economic stability: On average, a lawyer in Latin America earns almost 3 times less than the average lawyer in America. This has prevented Latin American professionals from achieving economic stability. Virtual Latinos law firms enable the possibility for Virtual Legal Assistants to earn higher salaries without the necessity of traveling from one place to another. This gives them the possibility to arrange better economic stability for their families and to have better opportunities in their countries.
- Learn a variety of law disciplines: The legal industry has quite a variety of disciplines. Most of the law firms that want to participate within the Virtual Latinos community come from immigration, personal defense, criminal defense, and family law practices. The “Introduction to Legal Industry” allows you to obtain knowledge of all four techniques in detail. This means that once you are done with the course, you are capable of applying your knowledge to different areas of expertise. You will not be limited to working for one specific discipline in law and this will increase your possibility of being hired.
- Experience working for a highly developed market: The possibility of working for a law firm in an advanced market like the U.S. is not an opportunity presented to everyone. Even if you legally lived in the United States, there are limitations, such as holding a law degree and respective credentials. The competition is also brutal internally. Virtual Latinos let you overcome certain barriers by working virtually. Having worked for an American company looks very good on your CV. In addition, you present your bilingual skills by interacting day-to-day with people in English. The law firm will benefit as well from your Spanish/Portuguese fluency.
- The course has a “$” sign, what does it mean?: The courses that have a dollar sign indicate that upon completion of the course, you are entitled to earn VL Academy bonuses. Your VL Academy bonus will be determined by VL Credits, which measure your expertise and engagement within the Virtual Latinos community. Each VL Credit equals $10 USD towards your VL Academy bonus payout.
Something important to note is that the VL Academy bonus rewards are exclusively available to our hired virtual assistants. However, if you’re not currently hired, there’s no need to worry. You can still proactively take courses and earn certificates to enhance your chances of securing a position. We will also save your hard-earned VL Credits for when the perfect job arises and get the bonus as well. More info is coming soon!
Suppose you are a Virtual Legal Assistant within the community of Virtual Latinos that aspires to work for the legal industry. In that case, this is the course that will significantly enhance your chances of being hired. By taking this course, a virtual legal assistant will be able to benefit from learning different legal disciplines, experience the possibility of working in a highly developed market, and reach economic stability with significantly higher wages compared to their home countries.
