If you’re a solo attorney, your biggest hurdle likely isn’t landing new clients; it’s finding the bandwidth and breathing room to give each case the full attention it truly deserves. You’re committed, but you simply don’t have enough hours in a week.
That was the struggle faced by Kentucky probate attorney Carrie D. Ritsert. Running a busy solo practice without even a single associate to help her meant that every probate packet, file, and client document landed on her desk. Probate law may seem straightforward on paper, but the burden of administrative tasks behind it can persistently burn through entire workdays.
All of this changed for Ms. Ritsert when ILA Muhammad Shaheer joined her team.
Mr. Shaheer began by supporting Carrie Ritsert with probate and family-law documentation. The core work might seem simple enough: it involved drafting packets, preparing filings, organizing documents, and handling e-filings.
But over time, Muhammad’s role developed into something much more meaningful; the operational support that allowed Ms. Ritsert to focus on higher-value legal work instead of spending hours buried under paperwork.
“For that particular attorney, I have worked a lot on the documentation part of the whole process,” Muhammad explained. “I draft documents and not only do I draft the documents, I then go on to e-file the document on the E-System of the courts of that particular state. Then I also go on to fill the particular documents according to the clients. I also share those particular documents with the clients.”
In practical terms, he managed the document workflow from start to finish.
For a solo probate attorney handling multiple cases every day, that level of support changes one’s entire week. You see, just one probate packet might take an hour and a half to complete alone. Multiply that by six clients in a day, and a lawyer can easily lose seven hours (or more!) to repetitive drafting tasks alone.
Muhammad Shaheer quickly recognized this and jumped in. The impact for Ms. Ritsert? Immediate and measurable.
Instead of spending hours preparing probate documents by hand, she could now shift her attention toward more important things, like court appearances, pleadings, and client strategy. The very core processes and skills she went to law school for. And the tedious administrative tasks that once overshadowed her entire schedule became a simple, streamlined process.
And as cooperation and efficiency deepened, the gains for her firm became even more apparent. After a while, Ms. Ritsert was even able to take Fridays off, as her administrative work was entirely caught up by Thursday.
Carrie Ritsert described her ILA experience this way:
“I would absolutely hire Muhammad Shaheer if I need remote assistance again. Once the learning curve period was over he became accustomed to my practice, my area of law and how I need my documents to look and how they need to read.
He was timely in completing assignments and has no issue making revisions if needed. I have a flexible schedule and that worked well between us as we both had different time schedules and I believe this worked out well for him as well.
I did have two others before him and he was the best to catch on to the level of paying attention to detail that I require and never once did he seem annoyed or upset. I do not think you will be disappointed.”
For solo law firms trying to achieve growth, reviews like this demonstrate that landing quality office support is about more than reclaiming time. It’s about creating the space attorneys need to do their best work without sacrificing their health, drive, or personal lives in the process.
Ms. Ritsert gained efficiency, freedom, and an entire day back in her week. That’s more time, not only for case work and excellent representation, but for her friends, family, and for her own well-being, too.
Interested in what attorney-level support could do for your firm? Reach out to DocketWorks for a Discovery Call today. We’ll answer your questions, help you identify the smaller tasks that could easily be delegated, and share what an ILA could do for your practice, work week, and freedom.
Richard Jacobs is the president and founder of DocketWorks and Speakeasy Marketing, where he works with law firms across the country to build systems that help attorneys grow their practices without losing focus on the work that matters most. Through years of working closely with legal teams, he has authored numerous books and developed practical strategies for helping firms streamline operations, strengthen their teams, and scale their impact.