Denise Annunciata: Paralegal Power
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It’s midnight, and corporate paralegal Denise Annunciata sits in her corner office, bleary-eyed, staring at her computer screen. There’s no view to relieve the tedium—her office being in the corner of her back bedroom in Framingham, Mass.
As she tackles a mountain of securities matters (aka blue sky work) in front of her, the other half of her brain rapidly sifts through ways to handle the unending influx of work.
Ding. An e-mail pops up. It’s a resumé from Atlanta paralegal Kathy Rasler, looking to join Annunciata’s online paralegal venture.
No time to look at it. Delete. Ding. Then a follow-up e-mail: “Oops, I forgot to mention my specialty is blue sky.” Problem solved.
“I tell all the attorneys that Kathy dropped out of the clear blue sky,” Annunciata says, laughing.
Rasler’s serendipitous appearance is a perfect example of the way Annunciata developed her business, Virtual Paralegal Services: a coffeehouse brainstorm here, a few lucky referrals there and her hopes of earning a modest income working from home, leveraging 22 years of big-firm experience.
LUCKY PLUCK
But Annunciata’s good fortune is actually the result of decades of hard work, financial sacrifice, creation of another online firm and a heady dose of perfectionism.
Oh, by the way, last year her company’s revenue topped $480,000.
Hear Denise Annunciata talk about the growth of virtual law practice.
Annunciata launched her company in June 2006. Her firm drafts corporate resolutions, license agreements and Uniform Commercial Code statements for solos and small law firms across the country. She responds to e-mails within minutes—sometimes seconds—and often turns assignments around within 24 hours.
In its first six months, VPS earned nearly $45,000, half her former law firm salary. In 2007, revenue topped $350,000 with the addition of one paralegal. Today VPS is a full-service, seven-member paralegal firm—including litigation, probate, patent and securities specialists—and is on target to earn about $750,000.
The kicker: VPS charges clients only $80 per hour, about $200 less than a large firm would.
“Every year revenues are crazier than I’ve ever expected,” Annunciata says.
The 53-year-old single mother of one daughter gives an exasperated sigh as she recounts her frustrations at the lack of technological support at her last law firm employer. “I know I’m a good paralegal,” she asserts. “I knew how to do the work, but my stuff wasn’t there.”
She means her bag of tricks: the forms, tips and reminders needed to complete tasks like dissolving a corporation quickly and correctly. She had gathered those materials while with a previous employer, but they became that firm’s property and she couldn’t take them with her.
“I would look at the computer and I would ask, ‘Why can’t I go to Google to remind me?’ I decided that would be the coolest thing in the world, to have those resources, because wherever you were, you could be a great paralegal.”
When pitches to Lexis and Westlaw failed, Annunciata created her own online resource, LeapLaw, supplying forms of agreement or director-stockholder consent, procedural updates and information on doing legal business in any of the 50 states.
But when the challenges and costs of building an online business proved daunting, Annunciata supplemented her income by taking on corporate paralegal work from former lawyer colleagues, as well as referrals. LeapLaw is also a source of new clients, though a minor one.
“Denise had the skill set and the entrepreneurial drive to get it done,” Boston attorney Steve Shishko says of founding VPS. “She has hundreds of ideas. She’ll say, ‘One has to work; I’m going to figure out which one it is, and I’m going to make it work.’ ”
Making it work involves fostering respect and camaraderie among the VPS paralegals and their many clients through an online platform Annunciata is constantly perfecting.
Although expanding VPS seems the next logical step, Annunciata insists her plan has a more personal goal than to increase revenue.
After jumping from one law firm to the next, “I realized you can’t leave a job for the money, and you can’t go back,” she says. “I sort of stumbled, but when I found this, I created a job I love.”
Photos by Marin Klimek
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Posted by Heather Holtcamp - 1 year, 1 week, 2 days, 16 hours, 44 minutes ago
I am a recently turned solo practitioner working from home and loving it! I just recently by such luck received a shot at what I would call my dream case. Your profile seems like maybe you could/would offer me advice re: new case that scares me but I just cannot crumble and/or admit defeat. I must conquer w/ some help of outside knowledge and I literally mean out of my town - help/advice/input re: securities..some federal banking loan regulations….input would be great. Thank you, H
Posted by Jennifer P. - 1 year, 1 week, 2 days, 15 hours, 48 minutes ago
For the latest in banking loan regulations, I recommend attending the CRA and Fair Lending Colloquium, October 4- 7 in New Orleans. Senior regulators, attorneys, and compliance professionals will be there. The event website is http://www.cracolloquium.com. Good luck with your case!
Posted by Maury Davenport - 1 year, 1 week, 1 day, 15 hours, 56 minutes ago
Hi,
Enjoyed reading article about your firm.
Could use your opinion please and thank you.
I used to conduct dozens and dozens of Paralegal seminars in almost every state and also was a firm administrator in Denver for 7 years. Then I became a law firm consultant and CLE provider in California and am now semi-retired living in Maui. In a few words, I know lots about running law firms and am wondering if a virtual law firm consulting ala SaaS on Google platform would work.
Any opinions would be appreciated.
Mahalo,
Maury Davenport
808-264-6314
My question
Posted by Virginia Donnelly - 1 year, 1 week, 19 hours, 2 minutes ago
I am a paralegal in Washington, DC and want to explore the possibility of using my experience to work from home part-time and as I am close to retirement more time from home.
Posted by Laurel Edgeworth - 1 year, 6 days, 4 hours, 42 minutes ago
Congratulations, Denise from your fellow Rebel! When we at LCC were first interviewed we had no idea the Legal Rebel movement was being launched by the ABA. It is wonderful to be in such esteemed company, and the ABA deemed all of us to lead the articles. As we are the only female owned companies in the initial batch, I think we can certainly understand some of the issues we have faced and the circumstances we were able to turn to our advantage. Best of luck in all your endeavors!
Posted by shari hodges - 1 year, 5 days, 16 hours, 37 minutes ago
I am a paralegal, who was trained on the job by Harvard attorneys and rebel litigators. I did this for 20 years. Then the invented the paralegal certificate. I can’t imagine any paralegal certificate that can live up to 20 years chasing Harvard attorneys to Federal court. I got to see some pretty famous cases up close while America saw them on TV. This hybrid form of practicing law that turned it into some procedural form filling contest vs. hard core litigation, is the reason that nobody is getting representation to the degree cases need to be pursued.
I also wrote a consumer law book that is in revision. I guess having a radical project is long overdue - if you need any help, you know how to find me. I’ve been a guest on talk radio, had my own legal talk radio show, and I have no problem at all speaking about law.
I’ll hold my breath until somebody calls me. Right.
Posted by Richard Bruder - 1 year, 4 days, 20 hours, 57 minutes ago
Denise is my paralegal, and her service is excellent!
The comment in the article about her response time is no exaggeration. She has always responded quickly and accurately to my call outs for help.
Besides, its cool to work with a rebel!
Rich
Posted by Leanna Hamill - 1 year, 4 days, 18 hours, 39 minutes ago
I’ve used Denise’s paralegals in the past, and am thrilled that she now has a Probate Paralegal as well!
Leanna
Posted by Giada - 11 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, 9 hours, 24 minutes ago
Hi I’m Giada and i write from Italy.. I study law and now I have to prepare my graduation thesis. I chose the subject “Virtual Law Practice”..I would like to compared european system to USA system.. which are the responsability? When write a advice a lawyrs and when advice are wrote by a legal practitioner? I hope you can help me!!!
Giada