BEAUMONT – Even Lady Justice is working remotely these days, as more and more businesses, including law firms, are being forced to adapt to a world under quarantine.
Earlier this month, judges throughout Jefferson County closed their courtrooms to jury trials in response to increasingly mounting health concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
In fact, courthouses all over the U.S. have essentially emptied, calling into question not only the future of civil litigation but also the law firms who bring those lawsuits and the people who depend on those firms for employment.
“COVID-19 has impacted all law practices,” said Paul "Chip" Ferguson, founder of The Ferguson Law Firm. “Jury trials are stopped for the foreseeable future – courts across the state aren’t – and shouldn’t be – assembling juries. The courts here have indicated a willingness to keep as much of the justice wheel turning as possible.”
Ferguson says the first priority is health of course, but that his firm, with some changes, remains open for business.
“We are currently working split crews – that keeps the doors open and phones answered every workday,” Ferguson said. “This means half of our staff works one day and the other half works the other day. On their half-day at home, we expect staff to work remotely.
In return, Ferguson Law has kept everyone employed and is paying full salaries.
“Most, if not all, of our attorneys are in the office daily and have the ability to work remotely if necessary,” Ferguson said. “Our internal system is accessible remotely so, computer-wise, its like being at your office desk.”
Ferguson says everyone is sensitive to health concerns and that makes scheduling difficult. On top of that, travel is difficult, which makes depositions difficult.
“Many defendants have or will use the pandemic to slow or halt progress,” Ferguson said. “That is unfortunate, and there is little we can do about that in the short-term.”
Ferguson says he and his team are looking to take depositions and conduct hearings via videoconferencing.
“We are doing more client communication by telephone, email and text messaging,” Ferguson said. “We have in-house programs that allow that. Most clients appreciate the need for this kind of social distancing. On the other hand, we will meet in-person if needed. Our profession is a people-oriented one; plus, I just like seeing the clients face-to-face.”
Despite the difficulty of the times, Ferguson says his firm will continue to manage the interests of their clients.
“That is why we continue to stay open and modify our procedures in the office – to take care of them,” Ferguson said. “We have cases to push, settlements to be funded and future trials to prepare for – we’re doing all of that.”