The ongoing health crisis has shaped the law industry in ways no one could have imagined. The great recession was the other recent pandemic that had a significant influence on most industries. The difference between these two global crises is that one accelerated existing trends while the other brought on new trends.
Many businesses were affected by Covid-19 in primarily negative ways causing some to close down for good. It is entirely unclear whether the continued crisis will cause more operational changes to various fields. The law industry saw new trends and changes become implemented to ensure it remained relevant in the face of the crisis.
It is still difficult to predict if this ongoing pandemic will catalyst the underlying trends before the pandemic or cause a total change between society and the law field. How the two relate may greatly overturn, having to adapt to new ways of operations. Also, the way the recent trends will affect the productivity of the industry is still unknown.
The law field had to consider a few factors to continue operating in the rapidly changing, uncertain legal landscape. The client-lawyer relationship is the first thing to safeguard since the clients are the main drivers to the growth and success of the industry. The lawyers’ devotion to their work has propelled them to adopt new technological trends to maintain operational resilience.
Another factor that the industry dealt with was the clients’ demands. Although the medical field is working tirelessly to curb the pandemic, many people are affected in other areas of their lives. Insurance policy claims have become muddled up, and litigation cases are shooting up daily. Employment conditions are quickly shifting, forcing employees to seek legal help.
Additionally, one of the factors is the commercial implications the field will endure. Most legal proceedings are happening remotely, and this may become a permanent situation. Smart courts and other operational changes may affect the economic sector of the legal industry. Since the pandemic is ongoing, it is hard to pinpoint a final result, but the legal field remains hopeful for restored order in the future.
Looking back at the Great Recession, most of the negative expectations turned out reasonably positive. The Covid-19 crisis may also bring surprises to the legal industry.