Law firm staffing

I came across a very interesting post from The Greatest American Lawyer entitled, "Is it Time to Re-Think Law Firm Staffing?" regarding personnel and staffing structure at law firms. The article discusses his unique set-up through the use of technology. He notes that in his office there's one attorney and 9 full and part-time staffing supporting him. I find that impressive.

Our firm is nearing its one year anniversary and we need to make some decisions about our growth. Currently as part of our office set-up, our landlord provides a pool of office support staff that covers our receptionist and basic clerical needs. But we need more! The first move I'm planning on making in the next one to two months is adding a couple of part-time virtual personal who can work for us off-site.

The best set-up I've seen on a first-hand basis was my initial employer Gordon A. Cochrane, a sole practitioner in Olympia Fields, Illinois. He had four part-time staff that totaled about three full-time employees in terms of total hours. Also, all of them were married so benefits were non-existent and were obtained through their spouses.