How COVID-19 has affected law as a Field and Profession? Vishu Raj BASICS OF LAW Wed, Dec 02, 2020, at ,01:43 PM Introduction- The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the legal, economic and social order of India and World. Due to the highly uncertain situation and rapidly changing environment, legal professionals like other businesses and industries are facing new challenges in their practice. The lawyers are experiencing a transformation of their practice and management of their law firms. Balancing between lawyers’ professional conduct responsibilities and clients’ relationships during the global pandemic might not always be easy to be made. For these reasons, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, legal professionals are taking some initiatives and implement some strategies in running their business in the context of the ongoing situation. Disruption in legal business and industry According to Clio’s report, legal professionals have been significantly affected by social restrictions and that many firms are seeing reduced client demand. Based on this source, the majority of legal professionals surveyed report experiencing significant disruption to their business since the start of the corona virus outbreak. It is likely since consumers say they are more likely to delay seeking legal help if they were to experience a problem. Also, 77% of legal professionals surveyed say they have experienced many changes to the day-to-day operations of their law practice. Besides, 67% of legal professionals surveyed are much more worried about the success of their law business, and 57% are worried about making a living over the next few months. In comparison, 46% of clients are anxious about making a living over the next few months. According to this report, 56% of legal professionals surveyed have seen a significant decrease in the number of people reaching out to their law practice for legal services, and 53% report being significantly less busy at work. 49% of consumers say that if they were to experience a legal issue in the next two months, they would very likely put it off until circumstances surrounding the corona virus pandemic go back to normal. Changes in Covid 19 pandemic which directly effects the Law as Profession;- Rising needs for communication and information- Lawyers keep their clients reasonably informed about significant development related to the representation in this situation. The lawyers must explain the ongoing situation, deadlines and any decision or circumstances which affect their clients’ rights and liabilities. In most jurisdictions, lawyers require to reasonably consult with the client about the means to be used to accomplish the client’s objectives, especially in an emergency. In some situations, depending on both the importance of the action under consideration and the feasibility of consulting with the client, this duty will require a consultation before taking action. Social Distancing and Digitalization of legal practice and working remotely Social distancing is becoming part of our social culture. The COVID-19 has created an environment of virtual workforce and distance practising. The courts and law firms’ closures or limited access lead to the recognition of new technology in legal professionals. The biggest impact of Corona virus on the legal industry, on the whole, is how social distancing has prevented legal practitioners from meeting face to face with clients and other parties. This means that certain legal procedures that usually require a meeting in person, such as a contract signing that requires a witness, has to be postponed. Such delays can end certain procedures in their entirety. The modification of the conditions for carrying out legal activities due to the corona virus requires developing or acquiring new skills and digital technology to increase productivity. This situation leads to accepting the new technology in the legal professional practices. Lawyers should be prepared to participate in judicial hearings via teleconferencing or videoconferencing and other digital technologies and tools for conducting such operations. Courts’ Shut-Down is Creating the Greatest Impact- The corona virus is going to affect law firms very differently depending on the type of law. Trials are on hold and hearings are limited to only certain types of hearings. When courts create the timeline and deadlines in a case, their closures have a very significant slowing down of our cases. On top of that, deposition and some discovery are limited to video. All of these things taken together mean that everything is on pause or significantly slowed. The clients' cases will progress slower and resolutions will take longer. Everyone makes an effort to relay this information to our clients to set their expectations and let them know we are in this together and their cases are still our priority. Major Decline in New Legal Cases Small law firm saw a massive decline in new business in individual practice areas like family law and criminal law over the past few weeks. Additionally, we have seen a decline in personal injury practice. Bright spots have included the continuation of work for corporate clients in written discovery. Old Cases on Hold & Few New Cases The most significant change for in law firm is the fact that all civil litigation is on hold. Courts are only handling cases deemed essential – basically, criminal cases. All other cases have been continued and will resume after the courts re-open for normal business. Everyone saw a dramatic decrease in the number of new clients calls as well. While it is difficult to determine exactly why it likely comes down to the fact that people are being forced to stay home – it is difficult to be injured due to someone else’s negligence from the comfort of your own home. Conclusion This brings us to the conclusion that almost every professional in the legal industry has got affected by Corona virus in one way or the other. Lawyers are trying to find new ways to keep their business operations running smoothly, along with incorporating the use of technology for remote working and taking outside help.