How Covid Has Radically Changed The Way Law Firms Work

It goes without saying that the past year was unprecedented. Not because we’d never faced a similar crisis but because of how it disrupted so many industries on a global scale.

As lawyers, we saw hearings immediately switch from in-person to virtual settings. We also witnessed a further backlog of cases, which is very unfortunate. 

There’s no doubt that we had to navigate what seemed like insurmountable roadblocks. Yet, as an industry, we collectively began to realize that technology is extremely beneficial for our day-to-day business.

A couple changes that I’ve noticed are:

(1) Using video conferencing software yields more productive discussions. As my partner and I have met with clients via Zoom, we’ve noticed that they’re more attentive and not in a rush. Personally, I attribute this type of focus to the lack of commute. They no longer have to worry about the 20 minutes drive to get to a meeting with us plus the 20 minutes back. They can simply open their laptop or phone, click a button and attend.

(2) It’s easier to transition from one task to another. Whether I decided to sit at a desk or in a conference room, I liked having the ability to take a client call and then immediately start work on a case without having to move. It was a small change with a big impact. That ability to “get straight to it” saved minutes and hours over time, which resulted in better case outcomes.

Not to mention it allowed me to speak to more current and potential clients in a day.

I know that in the legal industry we’ve been heavily reliant on paper, and this is due to what’s expected of us in court. However, I hope that we continue to embrace how technology can help us improve our results and customer service.

Don’t you agree?

By: Ryan Stump, Criminal Defense Lawyer of Randall & Stump, Criminal Defense Attorneys