The Stinemetz Law Firm

General

The Stinemetz Law Firm PLLC (SLF) is a transactional law firm founded by S. Douglas Stinemetz and based in Houston, Texas. It is among the first transactional firms in Texas to fall in the "virtual" or "semi-virtual" law firm category (see below), but is unique in that it is the very first of such firms to have handled large commercial transactions such as initial public offerings and international M&A.

Attorneys

As of January 2008, SLF has attorneys located in Houston, Moscow, New York and Dallas.

== The "Law on Demand" and Virtualization Trend ==

With the advancement of communication technology, the legal services industry in the United States has experienced a shift toward decentralization of certain practice areas and the formation of so-called virtual and semi-virtual law firms. Such firms typically seek to reduce overhead costs by outsourcing their basic support functions (such as accounting and IT support) to outside providers and allowing attorneys to generate work product from their independent offices while telecommuting with clients and outside counsel. In contrast to traditional law firms which make significant investments in staff and large representative offices at prime business locations, virtual and semi-virtual firms invest predominantly in communication technology, high-end computer equipment and advanced software, all the while seeking to operate with moderate offices and small staffs. The trend toward virtualization of the legal services industry is most pronouced in areas governed by US federal law, e.g. copyright and intellectual property protection, federal taxation, immigration law, and other areas which do not require hiring of lawyers with local expertise. Most recently, a number of bankruptcy practitioners have been applying a substantially virtual business model.
A variation of virtual law firms provide so-called "law on demand" services, such as standard documents preparation, e.g. wills and trusts, company formations, registered agent services, offshore company management. It is a fairly recent trend, noted by the New York Times in 2007, that small firms, including virtual ones, establish referral networks and attempt to compete in areas dominated by large traditional firms, such as international business deals and structuring of large commercial transactions.

SLF Business Model

In contrast to most large transactional law firms in the United States, SLF is organized to take advantage of the possibilities provided by the latest computer and telecommunications technologies to facilitate quick response and lower cost services. In particular, SLF offices are set up as hubs for attorneys with touch down work stations. All attorneys are equipped with portable laptops and are kept free to move about the world as required by clients' demands, all the while remaining in constant virtual contact. The firm's motto "We provide minds, not marble" is deliberately eschewing the fancy offices and large staffs that are more typical of traditional large firms. In addition, the firm is deliberately seeking strategic relationships with its clients and is deliberately moving away from the "billable hours" business model pursued by most of its competitors.

External links
*The Stinemetz Law Firm PLLC Official website
*Virtual Law Firms in Texas

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See Also

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