Many businesses that traditionally rely on in-person meetings have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. One industry that has generally relied on face to face contact (without necessarily needing to) has been lawyers. In a way, COVID-19 may have been beneficial for the legal industry. For a long time, attorneys have had the tools to operate remotely, but many haven’t taken the step to learn the tools available to do so. For example, lawyers can meet with their clients over the phone or video chat, and can use software like DocuSign to get necessary signatures (though the less advanced fax machine still works for that as well).
Law has long been a very paper-heavy industry, but recent months have been pushing it to be more digital than ever. Ryan Wright of The Wright Law Firm in Cheyenne mentioned that by making just a few adjustments he has been able to continue with his normal work relatively unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A little closer to home, John Schumacher of Schumacher Law in Riverton has been able to increase his sanitation procedures as well as having his staff wear masks in order to remain open for necessary in-person meetings.
As time goes on it will be interesting to see how other industries adapt to coronavirus and what role technology plays in that adaptation.