Pandemic priorities in corporate legal departments are being constantly evaluated and reevaluated as everyone tries to figure out what the New Normal will look like. Hear what some experts say from The Changing Lawyer LIVE! virtual conference, which was hosted by Litera. The virtual conference focused on not only what has changed so far, but the relationship between corporate counsel and law firms, how corporate business will change in the long term, and new opportunities that may emerge as everyone assesses pandemic priorities. There will certainly be an impact on legal jobs and the way lawyers work, and for in-house counsel maintaining career momentum is key. Here are some thoughts from the panelists on what has changed so far:
“Andrew: Everyone is working from home. That has driven adoption of tech and new uses of it, including Zoom or MS Teams. On M&A, we manage to finish some transactions, but post the crisis, deal flow will be down. Stephanie: Legal operations has been driving to cloud and will continue on that path. Moving forward, the sense that all must be in the same place likely will change. We can work effectively on a remote basis. After the initial shock of WFH, most everyone has adapted. GCs, especially of smaller companies, will be more open minded about getting the best talent, irrespective of location. That will be a benefit to Silicon Valley companies given the high cost of housing and awful commutes. Brian: Mitratech works with over 400 law departments. The big corporates have recovered well; their people are working. Now, there are two groups: the highly impacted ones and less impacted ones. The latter are now rethinking how they work, eg, meetings. In these industries, management is more open to new ideas now.”
Read: Pandemic Priorities in Corporate Legal Departments at Prism Legal