The Impact of COVID–19 on How Law Firms do Business When it is Just a Memory
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...kudos to the hotel industry and the way they have conducted business during this challenging time. |
I would be remiss if I did not send kudos to the hotel industry and the way they have conducted business during this challenging time. I had to cancel reservations with four different hotel chains as a result of the virus (The Alt, Ritz Carlton, The Walper, and Omni), and all of them made it easy and straightforward. Unfortunately, this was not the case with the airlines Air Canada and Delta.
To both shore up their current telecomputing arrangements and be positioned to deal effectively with increased demand in the future, law firms should consider the following steps:
- Retain a technology consultant well versed in telecommuting technology;
- Have the consultant conduct an audit of both the firm's current hardware and software;
- Have the consultant meet with a representative group of your lawyers to understand the type of applications they need to support their practice and gain an appreciation/understanding of their concerns/issues;
- Have them present a plan which identifies where the firm needs to get to and the transition plan, timeline, and cost to get them there. This plan should not only deal with hardware and software but also the location of site hosting the cloud, the bandwidth of the internet into office, type of home internet connection and hardware profile for home computers;
- Develop cybersecurity procedures and processes for both office and home and purchase the appropriate product for both; and
- Begin the upgrade of both office and home VPNs, hardware.
The cost of a hack of home transmitted documents is sufficiently high that firms are better off making sure that their lawyers have the proper hardware and cybersecurity to reduce the chances of this happening. Firms should not only provide computers for the lawyers to work on from home but as part of the security procedures require that no one else has access to it.
In addition to having a positive client relationship impact, firms should work with clients to test their systems to make sure the connectivity exists when it is not a do or die situation. At the same time, this offers the firms an opportunity to address with the client the services they can provide remotely.
As Cali Williams Yost, CEO and Founder of Flex+Strategy Group and Work+Life Fit, pointed out, "... allowing employees to work remotely is a core business strategy today."
- Foreign Affairs, March / April 2020 Edition, The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means, how to respond, Klaus Schwab
Stephen Mabey is a CPA, CA and the Managing Director of Applied Strategies, Inc. Stephen's focus is on law firms in general and on small to medium size law firms in particular. He has written about and advised on, a wide range of issues including - leadership, business development, marketing, key performance indicators, strategic planning, mergers, practice acquisitions, competitive intelligence, finance, mergers, practice transitioning, compensation, organizational structures, succession and transition planning, partnership arrangements and firm retreats. In 2013, Stephen was inducted as a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management in recognition of his sustained commitment to the highest standards of professionalism in law practice management. For more information, visit appliedstrategies.ca or connect with Stephen Mabey on LinkedIn.