Value Addition to Remote Lawyer-Client Relationships in a Pandemic: A Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Abstract

The advent of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic has entirely transmuted the ways we used to live by previously. With crippling economies worldwide and unemployment at its pinnacle ever since the ‘The Great Depression’, a lot of individuals have been laid off from their means of living. While some employers are fortunate enough to still have a steady source of income, they are oftentimes oblivious about the technical expertise and remote working stratagems in order to shift their business model in a successful e-business archetype.Remote work is the only credible ray of hope for lawyers as well as law firms to endure this difficult period of adversity. Therefore, adding value to lawyer-client relationships in a virtual setup is equivalently important as its physical counterpart. The debacle of looking down upon remote work and putting it on an inferior pedestal will bring forth devastating upshots for lawyers as well as law firms. While the problems of remote work have been deliberated on from time to time, barely any fruitful conversation oriented towards discussing the probable solutions has been instigated. The ensuing article entails a solution-focused brief therapy approach to unravel a few persuasive recommendations to effectively reinforce lawyer-client relationships in a remote working pedagogy in this Coronavirus inflicted world and the road ahead. The article further illustrates how can attorneys practically cater to their clients without even leaving their doorstep and also highlights the pros and cons of this newfound remote working paradigm. The concluding part of the article sheds light on the ethical obligations of telecommuting attorneys and enshrines a “3Cs” model to tackle the virtuous conundrums.