By Steve Fretzin & Erik Reid
International Staffing To Transform Your Law Firm
When it comes to growing your business, one of the most important things is staying adaptable and finding solutions that can scale with you. That’s exactly what we discussed with Erik Reid, co-founder of Virtustant. Erik has managed to shift the way businesses think about international hiring, and in doing so, he’s opened up some incredible opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises.
From my experience, I can tell you that building and maintaining a strong team is critical. Many attorneys find themselves caught up in administrative tasks that eat away at valuable billable hours. Delegating these tasks is crucial, but it’s not always easy to find the right person, especially at a cost that makes sense for a smaller practice. This is where Erik’s expertise on international hiring offers a fresh perspective.
Erik started Virtustant out of a need for affordable and trustworthy staffing solutions. After facing challenges hiring virtual assistants himself, he saw a gap in the market—one that could help countless businesses by providing highly skilled, college-educated professionals from around the world. Virtustant specializes in matching these professionals with companies, offering a new way for law firms and other businesses to scale efficiently without breaking the bank.
A central idea from our discussion was the importance of moving past the old stigma associated with outsourcing. Many people still think outsourcing means hiring cheap, unskilled labor to handle menial tasks. Erik has a different view. His approach is about international staffing—hiring skilled, competent professionals to fill roles that can be done remotely, from basic administrative work to more complex, specialized tasks like marketing or IT.
Erik emphasized that hiring international talent isn’t just about cost savings. It’s about finding the right fit for your business. But for many small firms, especially law practices, hiring top-tier American talent can be a challenge due to the high costs involved. If you’re a solo practitioner or running a smaller firm, paying six figures for an experienced paralegal or marketing manager might not be feasible. But hiring internationally through a firm like Virtustant gives you access to the same caliber of talent for a fraction of the cost.
Erik and I both agreed that whether you’re hiring locally or internationally, one thing remains true: You need the right person for the job. And getting the right person isn’t just about looking at their resume or conducting a great interview. You need to assess whether they’re the right fit for your team, both in terms of skills and personality.
One of the strategies Erik uses is aptitude testing, which allows companies to measure a candidate’s cognitive abilities and skills. This approach ensures that you’re not just hiring someone who looks good on paper, but someone who can grow into the role and add value to your business. He compares it to drafting in sports, often, it’s about potential rather than immediate performance. You want someone who can adapt, learn, and bring long-term value to your team.
In my own work coaching attorneys, I’ve found that too often, the hiring process is rushed, leading to costly mistakes. A bad hire can drain your time, energy, and finances. That’s why Erik’s emphasis on thorough vetting—whether through cognitive testing, personality assessments, or task-based evaluations—makes so much sense. He shared a great example of how his team hired a marketing manager. The candidate didn’t have the flashiest interview, but when given a practical task during the interview process, he completed it on the spot, showing his readiness and capability. That’s the kind of insight that simple interviews can miss.
When it comes to managing a remote team, especially an international one, clear communication is vital. Erik highlighted the importance of setting up the right systems, such as using tools like Slack or other centralized communication platforms. These tools allow you to stay connected and ensure that your remote staff is just as integrated into your team as anyone sitting in the office next door. It’s about creating a seamless workflow that keeps everyone on the same page.
For those of you who are on the fence about hiring internationally, Erik made one point very clear: if you have reservations, start small. Hire someone to handle your social media or emails. You’ll be amazed at how much of a difference it makes in freeing up your time. In fact, a lot of the lawyers I work with resist delegating at first, thinking no one else can do the job to their standard. But once they get started, they realize just how much they’ve been holding themselves back by not letting go of those lower-level tasks.
In today’s globalized world, it’s essential to adapt and explore new ways of running your business. International staffing isn’t about taking jobs away from local talent; it’s about building a team that can help you grow sustainably, especially in those early stages when every dollar counts. As Erik pointed out, this isn’t about cutting corners—it’s about finding smart solutions that allow businesses to thrive.
To wrap things up, international staffing can be a game-changer for law firms, especially smaller practices looking to scale efficiently. By tapping into global talent, you can get the support you need at a price that allows you to focus on what matters most: growing your practice and delivering top-notch legal services to your clients.
Get to know more about Erik HERE.
For more information about taking your law practice to the next level, please email me directly at [email protected].
Steve Fretzin, an expert at legal business development, is the author of four books regarding the topic and is the host of the Be That Lawyer podcast. He has helped hundreds of attorneys across the world dramatically grow their book of business while living a well-balanced life. He can be reached at [email protected].