Covid-19 has hit law firms especially hard. The face-to-face nature of a lot of legal work and in-person courts have ensured that legal settings are breeding grounds for the virus. Quarantines and business slowdowns have ensured that firms are suffering a significant reduction in both clients walking through the door and in the ability to conduct litigation and legal work.
If there’s any silver lining for the legal industry during this outbreak, we hope that it includes an increased realization amongst the members of the legal community that some things need to change. What do we think is most in need of transformation? Continue reading below to find out.
Live Courts
For most kinds of legal matters, litigation is almost always conducted in-person. And this makes sense, for the most part. Litigation is a high-stakes game dealing with sensitive subjects. It’s only fair that a defendant is able to see the witnesses arrayed against him or for a plaintiff to be in the same room with the defendant.
But there are undoubtedly ways to decrease the amount of in-person contact between the parties to a court proceeding. Some simple court proceedings, like routine criminal court matters (bail hearings, for example) could be conducted by videoconference at a fraction of the cost.
While complex trials likely won’t be going virtual any time soon, things like depositions could very well occur online. The presumption towards in-person hearings should shift in favor of a presumption for virtual presence.
Lawyer Culture
Legal culture is extraordinarily conservative. It’s not unusual to hear lawyers bemoan the advent of computer technology and brag about their ineptitude with technology. This is unfortunate. A culture that clings to the past forfeits the future.
A culture shift is required amongst lawyers, especially the more established ones, to allow for new and more technological ways of doing business. Whether that’s an openness to storing documents in secure clouds, conducting virtual meetings, allowing for documents to be e-signed, or encouraging support staff to work from home, there are countless ways that lawyers could encourage innovation in the legal workplace.
Lack of Preparedness
Because lawyers and law firms are usually so busy, many of them do very little strategic planning for the future. As a result, disaster mitigation strategies for a lot of firms simply don’t exist or are woefully inadequate.
We hope that one of the consequences of the current crisis is a renewed focus by lawyers and firms on the importance of planning and strategy. Just as important as meeting the day-to-day needs of their clients, proper plans guide the future of a firm and prepare it for success.
Final Thoughts
Covid-19 has suddenly created a new and unpleasant reality. Our hearts go out to everyone affected. We hope, however, that some good will come of this crisis. We hope that the legal industry will learn the lessons of the outbreak and put them to good use so that we’re better prepared for the next disruptive event.
