Ride the Lightning

87% of Law Firms Working Remotely and Most Feel Financial Pain

May 4, 2020

MyCase conducted a nationwide survey of law firms which found that 48% of firms are now working entirely remotely, 39% are partially working remotely and a mere 12% are still operating out of their physical offices.

As Bob Ambrogi blogged on April 30^th, the MyCase survey had responses from 819 legal professionals.

Bob was surprised (and so was I) at how quickly firms made the transition to remote work. Ninety percent made the transition in a week or less and 46% did it in a day or less. At Sensei, we made the decision at noon one day and were out of the office within three hours.

Many businesses went to remote working because they were ordered to. It certainly was easier for some, who had remote access in place – for others, as we can certainly attest, it was a harder transition, though still one which could be made fairly quickly.

The survey asked which technology tools firms had implemented within the last month. Unsurprisingly, 64% said that they had adopted video conferencing technology. A quarter said they'd added new hardware, such as laptops and phones.

Firms using cloud-based systems felt more prepared to work from home than those not using cloud systems. Asked if they have what they need to work from home, 79% of those using cloud systems said yes, compared to 59% of those not using cloud systems. Those stats are in line with what we know as well. In fact, several firms which had deliberately chosen to keep their data on-premise now regret that decision and asked to be moved to the cloud. Funny what a pandemic will do.

Anecdotally, we had talked until we were blue in the face about the necessity of endpoint protection. Within a week, virtually all clients signed up for it – now reliant (many of them) on home machines and home networks.

50% of the respondents to the survey said the most critical challenge they face right now is maintaining financial stability. Others cited court closures, meeting with clients and collecting payments.

On a personal level, 20% said their greatest challenge was meeting billable hour requirements.

A third of firms say they have cut expenses and 16% say they have instituted layoffs or furloughs. Sixteen percent are increasing their marketing.

69% think the pandemic will have a lasting impact on how they operate and 76% agree it will have a lasting impact on the way their firm uses technology.

Amen to that – the practice of law evolved more in two weeks than it had in two decades. The way courts operate is likely to be permanently impacted as well. Our local courts are conducting many proceedings via Cisco Webex, while many federal courts are 'Zooming' toward their future.

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
3975 University Drive, Suite 225|Fairfax, VA 22030
Email: Phone: 703-359-0700
Digital Forensics/Cybersecurity/Information Technology
https://senseient.com
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