The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life for us in so many ways—economically, personally, emotionally, and in many cases, physically. But it has also caused us to see our world through a different lens—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As the curve flattens, the lockdowns subside and business reopens, what steps should you take to reboot your law firm—and just as importantly, what lessons can you take from this experience to safeguard your firm, your team and your clients going forward? Let’s explore this question methodically.
New Considerations
Before you execute a reopening plan for the office, you need to look through the “pandemic lens,” so to speak, to take a look at what changes need to be made in the office. Solutions may differ a bit for every law firm, but let’s just pose a few questions to get you started:
Rebuilding Your Client Base
If you’ve lost clients as a result of the lockdowns, now is the time to start working on rebuilding that base—even if you’re not yet ready to reopen your office. Take an inventory of your client list to determine whether any of those clients might be ready to come back on board, and think about incentives for bringing them back. That said, don’t bank too much on past client relationships—begin devising a marketing strategy now to attract new clients in time for reopening.
Making a Plan
I realize there’s a lot to consider here, and people will have differing opinions on how far they should go with precautions. Some clients will take a relaxed view of precautions, while others will be germophobic. (Your local community’s reopening rules may inform your choices, too.) Your goal in any case is to formulate a plan you can live with so you can get back to running your business while keeping others and yourself as safe as possible.
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