283: Finding & Working with Overseas VAs (with Gabriel Marous)

·1 hr 9 min·5 clips

A New York lawyer reveals how he built a 10-person overseas VA team to run his law firm from anywhere.

The episode begins with Ernie introducing the topic of finding and working with overseas VAs, specifically in the Philippines, and his guest Gabriel Marous. Gabriel is a New York business lawyer who runs an international boutique law firm. He shares his background, growing up in France and moving to the U.S., which influenced his international perspective. Gabriel explains his atypical path to law, including a double major in economic sciences and law, and early jobs in finance. He worked in both small and big law firms, like Jones Day, before taking over a retiring attorney's practice. Gabriel discusses how COVID accelerated his shift to remote work, though he had been experimenting with overseas VAs for nearly a decade. He tried hiring from Ukraine and India before settling on the Philippines, where he found highly educated, English-speaking, and hardworking individuals. Gabriel now employs 10 full-time VAs in the Philippines, who work EST hours, and four attorneys. He describes using Zoom as a virtual office, with breakout rooms for different departments and a lobby managed by an admin. Communication is handled via Slack for real-time messaging and O365 for storage. Gabriel emphasizes creating role-based email addresses (e.g., [email protected]) to ensure continuity when staff leave. He uses Loom to build training libraries for each function, allowing new hires to learn independently. Gabriel also talks about his service, VA for Professionals, which helps other lawyers and professionals recruit, train, and manage overseas VAs. He explains the pricing structure, starting at around $10 per hour for admin functions, with full-time employment for the VAs. Security concerns are addressed through tools like LastPass for credential management, Time Doctor for screen monitoring, and O365 for access controls. Gabriel highlights the importance of training staff on cybersecurity, such as avoiding phishing links. The episode concludes with Gabriel sharing his contact information and Ernie summarizing the benefits of leveraging overseas VAs for law practices.

As heard by us

A practical look at how shared roles and inboxes make a 10-person VA team easier to manage.

The 80-20 Principle treats overseas virtual assistants as an operating question: how work moves through a firm, who owns it, and who can step in when needed.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want overseas VAs without turning your law firm into an inbox maze.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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