In 2008, Dr Parkinson detailed a system where clients could go to his website, see his calendar, book a meeting, receive a visit at their requested time and finally pay online through PayPal.
Mr Furlong identifies internet video-calling application Skype as a potential way to build a law firm by meeting clients in their homes. ‘Think about it,’ he writes, ‘how many services do you offer that require direct physical proximity to your client? Very few. It’s often said that law is a personal relationship business and that nothing beats face-to-face interaction, and I think both of these things are true. But Skype-enabled video meetings accomplish each of these goals without tying up your client in traffic or forcing him to leave the office for three hours in the middle of the day.’
Mr Furlong – a partner with Edge International, a senior consultant with Stem Legal, and a blogger at Law21 – thinks this may be first step to becoming the world’s most client-accessible lawyer.
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