The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every sector of the economy. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a lot of businesses have been struggling to survive amidst travel restrictions and social distancing rules.
Divorce attorneys have also suffered the effects of the pandemic. For the first time, lawyers could not operate the way they previously used to. For example, most of them had to comply with the measure set out by various state authorities to curb the spread of the virus.
This meant that they could not receive as many clients as they used to. Some of their clients also became afraid to visit their offices to seek services for the fear of contracting the highly infectious disease. But with time, both attorneys and their clients had to adapt to the situation.
Additionally, some clients appear to disregard court orders believing that they will be excused because of the pandemic.
Courts have however instituted mechanisms that are meant to ensure that court orders are served electronically. It is upon divorce lawyers to educate their clients and make sure that they abide by the orders.
As a result, most divorce lawyers had to come up with ways to survive during the pandemic.
1. Virtual practice
When the coronavirus broke out, most public places including the courts had to be closed in order to minimize the spread of the disease. Courts had to quickly switch to remote court sessions, thanks to modern technologies such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
This meant that lawyers had to create makeshift offices in their homes to represent their clients virtually. This was the only way to dispense justice at a time when the number of infections is still growing. With the continued uncertainty, most divorce lawyers have no choice but to continue representing their clients virtually.
2. Connecting with clients
The travel restrictions imposed by most states made it very difficult for divorce lawyers to meet and interact with their clients. This has forced them to come up with different ways to keep connected with them through the court proceedings.
One of the ways they are achieving this is leveraging technology. There are various virtual communication channels such as Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, and many others. Divorce lawyers have gotten accustomed to these modes of communication to keep their clients updated about their divorce lawsuits.
3. Digital advertising
Although some divorce lawyers were already using digital advertising to promote their practice before the outbreak of the pandemic, most lawyers are now embracing this form of advertising in order to remain afloat during the pandemic.
With digital advertising strategies such as search engine optimization (SEO), law firms are able to advertise their services online and attract clients. SEO refers to the use of high-quality content to improve rankings in popular search engines such as Google.
4. Social media engagement
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of various social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter for official purposes. Many Divorce lawyers have become more active in various social media sites to keep their clients engaged.
Considering the fact that most users access their social media accounts almost every day, it presents an opportunity to divorce lawyers to interact with their clientele and answer any questions that they might have. Some lawyers have even launched social media campaigns to advertise their services.
5. Online payments
Divorce lawyers have been forced to change their mode of payment ever since the pandemic started. This is in line with the regulations set by the World Health Organization (WHO) that discourage the handling of cash. It is believed that coronavirus can stay on surfaces for up to three hours.
As a result, divorce lawyers have been forced to advise their clients to make payments electronically to reduce the chances of spreading the disease. As long as the COVID-19 infections continue to increase, this will be the new normal.
