Podcast Narration Script – EPISODE 5 Virtual Assistant vs. Virtual Paralegal vs. Online Business ManagerVirtual Assistant vs. Virtual Paralegal vs. Online Business ManagerBy: Holly A. Sheriff on behalf of Best Virtual Paralegal LLCThe Narration is provided by a professional Voiceover Actress & is not that of the author.What are the differences are between a Virtual Assistant (V.A.), Virtual Paralegal (VP), and Online Business Manager (O.B.M.). Learn more here! At Best Virtual Paralegal, we love answering this question! COVID has undoubtedly changed the legal industry a bit. The world has finally caught up to Best Virtual Paralegal! We have worked remotely for decades. You're in luck because we are highly skilled virtual assistants, virtual paralegals, and online business managers every day!First, let's define the three roles!Because there is some overlap between what these three roles do, virtual assistants, virtual paralegals, and online business managers may be defined similarly depending on the source. This overlap causes most people to confuse the three roles.Virtual Assistants are defined by sources like Fiverr, Upwork, and Time Doctor as an "independent contractor who provides administrative, technical, and creative support to other professionals (2022)."The A.B.A., the State Bar Association of Texas, and Best Virtual Paralegal define a virtual paralegal as "an independent contractor who is self-employed and works outside the traditional law firm or corporate setting (2022)."Indeed, Upwork and Time Doctor describe an online business manager as "a self-employed independent contractor working remotely to manage a business by providing administrative, technical, and creative support (2022)."Let's discuss the differences!The definitions of these roles seem similar, as you can see. In this section, we will examine how these three roles can support firms in diverse ways. The differences between these three roles may vary from company to company. In other words, what Best Virtual Paralegal believes is a virtual assistant role or task might be listed by another source such as Upwork under a virtual paralegal role/task. These roles are subjective, based on the company providing the service.Virtual assistants are the doers. Generally, they are task-oriented professionals who assist clients in achieving their goals. Often, this means virtual assistants perform tasks that an attorney cannot bill the client or pass through to the client, such as legal secretary duties. Our article has discussed virtual assistants, virtual paralegals, and online business managers in this particular order. In this section, however, we're going to skip virtual paralegal for a minute and jump straight to an online business manager.We will discuss virtual paralegals after online business managers.Business managers are the people who can help clients manage their online businesses in a wide range of ways. In many ways, the online business manager takes care of the responsibilities of the business owner, as well as those of consultant, coach, strategist, and marketer. In most cases, the business owner remains the conductor, while the online business manager becomes their right-hand person.Let's go back around and talk about virtual paralegals.In many cases, virtual paralegals who have owned their own businesses for a while or who have received extensive education and experience help their clients as both business managers and paralegals. However, this is not always the case - it depends on the virtual paralegal's skillset and mindset. Previously, we discussed this topic in the article titled "Paralegal Entrepreneurs are more." A firm is more likely to find a business manager & paralegal in one person or one company if the virtual paralegal is more experienced.Let's explore some of the tasks one may delegate now that we know how the roles differ. This is not all-inclusive. And not all V.A.s, VPs, O.B.M.s. offer all the tasks listed below. With that said, this list will be semi-cohesive in terms of the services we offer here at Best Virtual Paralegal!Before we have you take a look at the chart of duties for each role, there are a few caveats, which we added to the narration for extra context. Due to time restraints, we have omitted the obvious paralegal duties and tasks from the list. For example, lawyers can use Best Virtual Paralegal to summarize documents, medical records, and financial reports. In addition, paralegals are typically responsible for summarizing records—however, the author omitted that task from the list. For those of you following along on our blog, let's begin by taking a look at the virtual assistance column. Here at Best Virtual Paralegal, the following tasks are usually performed by a virtual assistant or virtual legal assistant:Inbox and Calendar Management Don't let your inbox get out of control! You can have the support of a V.A. who can look after your inbox and calendar for you. Social Media ...
