One of the silver linings in the Covid mess has been the surge of entrepreneurial ingenuity, as small business owners strive to re-invent their business models to thrive, or at least survive. Innovation is everywhere as businesses adapt, including law firms. We were designated an essential service at the outset of the crisis, so shutting down was never really an option.
At Darnell law Group, we have trimmed staff, sent much of our work force home to work remotely, and have re-configured the office to provide social distancing for those still working on-site. We were, fortuitously, just completing a major computer network upgrade when Covid struck, so the transition to working remotely was relatively painless.
Our boardroom, which is in a separate location down the hall, and easily sanitized between visits, has become the designated venue for any necessary in-person meetings with clients – as some matters, like signing wills, or real estate documents must still be witnessed in person.
Our real estate department is so highly computerized, with documents being digitally signed by the lawyers, and submitted online for registration, that it is largely unaffected by the crisis.
While the front doors to the courthouse remain shut, we can still sneak in the back way, for truly urgent matters, but frankly, even before the pandemic, we had been finding that mediation and arbitration usually represented a more satisfactory and cost effective solution for our clients, and we are pivoting to offering both mediation and arbitration online.
We are adapting, with video-conferences replacing in place meetings where we can , and masks and gloves when we can’t.
Most importantly, we are still open, still innovating, and still helping clients.
Langley Law 