Separate legal work from legal admin
The firm's breakthrough was a clear line between tasks that need a lawyer and tasks that support lawyers. Once that line was drawn, it was easy to hand over intake, scheduling and file management with confidence.
Case study · Legal
How a Sydney law firm cut admin costs by 60% with remote legal admin support
Mitchell Legal Group, a 12-partner commercial law firm in Sydney, replaced a slow and costly local recruitment search with two dedicated, legally trained virtual assistants. Within 90 days the firm cut admin costs by 60%, brought client response times under two hours and gave partners back more than 30 billable hours a month.
Published with client permission · June 2026 · Reviewed October 2026
60%
Admin cost saved
30+
Billable hrs/month recovered
<2 hrs
Client response time
7 days
Time to shortlist
The challenge
The starting point
Growth is a good problem for a law firm until administration starts eating into billable time. That was the position Mitchell Legal Group found itself in: client work was increasing, but partners were still handling their own scheduling, client follow-ups and matter administration.
The firm's first instinct was to hire a local executive assistant. The search produced candidates asking between $75,000 and $85,000 plus superannuation, with a recruitment cycle of around three months. The managing partner wanted a faster, more flexible option that would not lock the firm into a large fixed cost.
Partners were spending more than eight hours a week each on work that did not require a lawyer, while clients waited too long for replies.
What we did
Our approach, step by step
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Week 1
Discovery and workflow mapping
In the first week we mapped where partner time was going: intake, scheduling, matter file management, document preparation and correspondence. We agreed which tasks could move to an assistant, which needed partner sign-off and how confidential information would be handled.
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Week 2
Shortlist in seven days
Within seven days of the consultation the firm received a shortlist of three virtual assistants with legal administration experience. Partners interviewed them and chose two to work part-time, which gave the firm cover across the week without paying for a full-time role it did not yet need.
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Month 1
Onboarding into the firm's systems
The assistants were set up in Clio, Outlook and the firm's document management system. They followed written procedures for client intake, matter file management, calendar coordination and confidential correspondence, all during Sydney business hours.
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Month 3
Review at 90 days
At the three-month mark we compared results with the starting point the firm had recorded: response times, partner admin hours and total admin cost against the local hire quote.
Results
The results
Within 90 days, average client response time fell from around six hours to under two. Partners reported reclaiming more than 30 billable hours a month between them, and total admin cost was 60% lower than the quote for a local hire.
Just as important for a law firm, the change was low risk. The firm started with part-time assistants, could adjust hours as workload changed and kept partners in control of every piece of legal work.
Apex Admins transformed our operations. Our virtual assistants handle everything seamlessly, and our partners finally focus on matters, not the inbox.
Lessons
What this story teaches
Part-time cover can beat one full-time hire
Two part-time assistants gave the firm flexibility and continuity, without paying for a full-time role before the workload justified it.
Local business hours matter for client-facing work
Because the assistants worked Sydney hours, clients received timely replies and partners could hand over tasks in real time.
Written procedures protect confidentiality
Documented steps for confidential correspondence and file handling gave partners confidence that client information was managed consistently.
Guide
Applying this in your own business
Is a legal virtual assistant right for your firm?
If partners or senior associates regularly manage their own calendars, chase documents or reply to routine client enquiries, there is usually a strong case. Start by tracking a fortnight of non-billable time; the patterns tell you which tasks to hand over first.
What to hand over first
Most firms start with client intake, appointment scheduling, matter file organisation and follow-up reminders. These tasks are frequent, rule based and easy to document, so quality is consistent from the first week.
Where automation fits
Once assistants own the workflow, automation can take on the most repetitive parts, such as intake forms, reminders and document requests, leaving assistants to handle exceptions and client care.
Services in this case study
The services behind these results
01What did the legal virtual assistants do?
They managed client intake, matter file management, calendar coordination and confidential correspondence in Clio, Outlook and the firm's document system, during Sydney business hours.
02How long did it take to see results?
The shortlist arrived within seven days, the assistants were working within two weeks and the 60% cost saving and sub-two-hour response times were confirmed at 90 days.
03Did the assistants do legal work?
No. Partners kept all legal judgement and advice. The assistants handled administration that supports legal work.
04How was confidential information handled?
The firm agreed written procedures for confidential correspondence and file handling, and the assistants worked inside the firm's own systems and permissions.
05Why two part-time assistants instead of one full-time?
Part-time cover gave the firm flexibility to match workload and continuity when one assistant was unavailable.
06Could a smaller law firm use the same approach?
Yes. Smaller firms often start with one part-time assistant for intake and scheduling, then add hours as the workload grows.
Want results like Mitchell Legal Group?
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