Ten Tips To Prepare Your Law Firm For The Coronavirus
By now, everyone on the planet has heard of the Coronavirus. Some of us are already impacted by travel bans and quarantines. But have you given thought yet to how you will get work done from home for 14+ days? How will your staff do their work? Here are ten helpful tips I have compiled for you.
Buy stock in the Purell Company! (kidding! not kidding!)
Prepare employees to be able to work from home for a minimum of 14 days: evaluate each employee’s functions and determine what technology and software they would need to be able to work from home. I recommend putting this in writing and delegating the task of making the list to the employee. He/she may have added tasks to his/her plate since originally being hired. For a receptionist, can your firm phone number be forwarded to his/her cell phone? Can she/he access your practice management software in order to still send everyone messages and to calendar events? In a pinch, she could send you email phone messages. Most tech is in the cloud now days, but if yours isn’t, give due to consideration how to make this happen. If you already have some/all virtual employees, this task will be much easier.
Prepare to meet with all clients, whether potential or pending, via phone or video conference. Popular video conferencing apps are Skype, FaceTime, and Zoom. If you have never used any of these options before, do a few dry runs now. You can practice this from one machine to another in the office. Or, from your car in the courthouse parking lot. Make sure your phone and software are compatible with every other software out there. For example, FaceTime only works w/ other iPhones. Find out how you would video conference w/ Android users, if necessary. Tango is one option.
Apply for a line of credit (LOC) if you don’t have one. Request an increase in your limit if you do have one. Normally, LOCs have very low interest rates. Keep this available in case business is slow. Do NOT treat it as available "cash" and spend it foolishly. It is meant for emergencies or capital investments. A Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) may be your best bet. Your home acts as collateral. Can’t qualify for a LOC? Seek an increase on your corporate credit card.
Track your county’s administrative order(s) on attending court appearances. Is there a way to appear telephonically? If you do criminal defense and need to attend a critical bond hearing, could you appear by video? What about jail visits? Many counties offer video access there as well. Apply for access and troubleshoot the technology required for this. Apply this concept across the board to your practice areas.
STOP shaking hands. With everyone. 😊
If your files are still paper-based, determine what documents to scan in now for access at home. Keep in mind that more than one employee might need to access the same document. How will you share them? Don’t waste time scanning in documents that your clerk of court may have available online. Do you have the technology at home to scan in documents from there. The Fujitsu ScanSnap is portable.
Get that Xanax prescription refilled now! Everyone knows it won’t be easy to be cooped up with 7 family members for 14+ days! 😉
The best policy is to plan to pay everyone for as long as your office might be closed. However, I would recommend checking with a reputable employment law attorney in your area for additional guidance on this. Employment law differs from state to state. What if the quarantine lasts more than 14 days? What if certain employees cannot work full-time from home? What must you compensate them for, such as personal cell phone use or paper and ink?
WASH YOUR HANDS!
I hope these ten tips are helpful and that you and your law firm survive the worst case scenario with flying colors. If I can help you in any other way, please call or text me at (904) 994-2481. You can also email me at jodi@carpeargentum.net. Take care!
