Engaging with the Socially Distant

Since the day the world went into lockdown and devised its own set of rules for the ‘new normal’, many law firms and organisations have been grappling with ‘what next?’. The last, over a year and a half has been unpredictable to say the least. The latest developments, both COVID-wise and the geo-political-nature-of-the-profession-wise, have done little to alleviate the trepidation, confusion and isolation that has been surrounding the way the legal industry has been functioning of late. With the wide-spread vaccine roll out, while many firms are bravely venturing back into their offices, others are still taking a more cautious approach. Regardless of whether law firms choose to go back to work as usual, adopt a hybrid environment that boasts a semi-populated office or continue with the remote working situation, the biggest logistic challenge that they all have to overcome remains constant: how to maintain healthy employee and client engagements whilst keeping everyone safe, the morale high and the bottom line intact?

Although remote working brought with it its own set of advantages, isolation and social distancing brought with them a complex conundrum. Suddenly, gone were the days when employees could interact freely with each other. Stuck in the limits of the Zoom window, employee and client engagement took a back seat to getting things done, and morale took a hard hit. But fortunately, recognising the signs very early on, several law firms and other agencies took crucial steps to counter the ill-effects of a socially distant world. Below are just a few recommendations of how law firms can nurture better, productive interactions amongst employees and with their clients without compromising on overall morale, and still be profitable.

Adopt a Technological Approach

There is no denying it. Technology has been our saviour these last few years. The Indian legal industry has had a rude awakening to the merits of legal technology. So, obviously the first suggestion on the list is to engage with technology in a positive way – or rather making sure that employees don’t struggle with technology. While a basic education on handling the many emerging softwares is crucial; equally important is the hardware capacities available to employees. Investing in proper cameras, quality mics, headphones or even an integrated phone system might seem redundant at first, but it will go a long way in ensuring better engagement (both with technology and the person on the other end) and overall productivity, especially in a remote or hybrid working environment.

Focus More on Performance

While end results and bottom lines are essential to keep a law firm’s standing amongst its peers and competitors, the last few months have shown us the bottom line can still be maintained without compromising on employees’ health or morale. All those who were worried that allowing remote working could negatively affect profit margins have, time and again, been proven wrong. Several surveys have found that lawyers and law firm staff now prefer to work remotely and have been increasingly productive while doing so. While remote working might have shaken the stoically traditional practice of the law, it definitely has opened many doors and opportunities. The evolved nature of the practice now presents several previously unexplored avenues ripe with success and profitability. In the post-

pandemic era, Law firms are sure to be more productive and successful simply by concentrating on employee performance and short-term results rather than on the bottom line.

Flexible Working

With new COVID variants ruining the best laid plans, law firm leaders and experts seem surrounded by questions of public health, client satisfaction and company expectations. But industry leaders have the big picture in mind – the company’s and its employees’ long-term future. While remote working is the best solution at the moment, law firms have to consider long-term strategies and start work on steadily bringing their employees back to offices. Prioritising employee health and safety, several organisations have already issued company policies around vaccine and mask mandates and have set tentative office return dates. It is in the best interest of the industry for law firms to start training and mentoring their staff for what will undoubtedly be a whole new way of working. Flexibility is key here.