The coronavirus pandemic has been one of the biggest hindrances on hundreds of professions and disciplines throughout all 7 continents since the coronavirus was first identified in China on December 19th 2021.[1]
However, there have been many ups and downs for the discipline of law; in some ways, this pandemic is a sort of enabler with constant amendments, policies being put into place, and new rules being created specifically for this pandemic.
How can such a drastically horrible event have such a positive and negative impact on a profession?
Well, the legal sector, much like many other, if not all professions, have had many jobs lost and individuals being let go due to the pandemic.[2] However, this has not been the worst affected area by any means.
The law has to carry on running in nearly every conceivable situation that one can think of; the law itself doesn’t just stop being prevalent when something terrible happens. This, in turn, means that solicitors, barristers, judges, and everyone who works in the legal profession still need to work.
Yes, it has become harder to work and run trials, trials are now online due to social distancing measures, and the number of trials being run is minimal[3] but, the amount of individuals requiring legal aid is drastically increasing, especially in the medical field of law.[4]
Legal Involvement:
Due to this outbreak, the policies put in place have all required some form of legal involvement, whether this be because the policies have become mandatory and had to be made into a law, like wearing a mask in stores unless you are exempt.[5] Or be it the social distancing guidelines that have had to go through legal teams to ensure that putting this kind of policy in place does not counter any previous laws, boundaries, or human rights.
This pandemic has not been easy for legal firms or even individuals who have broken the law during this outbreak. Law firms have had to close and have their staff work from home, furlough amounts have been put into place, paying people at a reduced rate if they aren’t working, and even having to still pay for the building upkeep.
This outbreak is costing the legal field a lot of money to keep running;[6] however, this could be an overall good thing for the medical, family, contract, and other lawyers in the long run. Cases will end up pouring into law firms for a variety of reasons such as medical malpractice, wrongful suspension from work and afraid to say it; even divorce lawyers will be getting a bit more work to do.[7]
With all this in mind, the law as the public eye sees it is not the only form being affected; international health law, for example, is being affected drastically, considering new ‘norms’ as this pandemic runs its course.[8] The legal sector, although seemingly okay for the long run, is struggling as of right now. Money for this kind of issue is new, the government paying out to small businesses to keep them running and then the big companies such as well-known law firms have to pay out of pocket and make individuals redundant. [9]
How will this change the path for future lawyers?
As mentioned previously, many areas of the law will be bustling over the next few years. The university of law states:
The workplace has changed and so employment law will grow to include more cases such as workplace disputes over working from home capabilities, safe working environments back in the office and employer’s duty of care when it comes to potential second waves and future pandemics.[10]
'In a post-pandemic world, we will rely more heavily on technology, which is where the next generation of legal professionals will excel.'[11] It can only be assumed that future lawyers will have to prove themselves capable of working with different kinds of hardware and software,[12] not only this but having trials online may be an easier way to run certain cases that wouldn't necessarily need many legal professionals to turn up to a courthouse.
Overall, how is the future looking for the legal field?
There is clearly going to be a new way of working in the legal field, ‘It’ll be an exciting time to enter a law career. The industry is facing an overturn much like most of the world and law students will be a part of a new legal industry.’[13] This will be very interesting to see what is to come from this pandemic, but overall, we can probably say that the legal field will be alright.
^https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acq-intl.com%2Fkettani-law-firm-leading-law-firm-in-morocco%2F&psig=AOvVaw0O8D6-ETo8GNZoSVxor9z8&ust=1614458866978000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOCi_pC2iO8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAL
[1]NHS Scotland, ‘Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)’, fitfortravel, <https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/disease-prevention-advice/coronavirus-disease-covid-19>
[2]ArmstrongWatson®, ‘The Impact of Covid-19 on the Legal Sector’, LE February 12th 2021, <https://www.armstrongwatson.co.uk/services/covid-19-and-your-business/impact-covid-19-legal-sector>
[3]ibid
[4]ibid
[5]GOV UK, ‘Face Coverings: when to wear one, exemptions, and how to make your own’, last updated 12 March 2021, Department of Health & Social Care, < https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own>
[6]Jennifer Deursen, ‘Covid-19 Cash Flow Issues Impacting Legal Sector’, [May 8 2020], TODAY’S WILLS AND PROBATE, < https://www.todayswillsandprobate.co.uk/main-news/covid-19-cash-flow-issues-impacting-legal-sector/>
[7]The University of Law, ‘Five ways the global pandemic will change the path for future lawyers’, blog, <https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/covid-and-future-lawyers/>
[8]Armin Bogdandy, Pedro Villarreal, ‘International Law on Pandemic Response: A first Stocktaking in Light of the Coronavirus Crisis’, [26 March 2020], Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (MPIL), No. 2020-07, <https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3561650>
[9]Richard Simmons, ‘Coronavirus: full details of how law firms are reacting’, last edited 21 August 2020, THE LAWYER, <https://www.thelawyer.com/coronavirus-law-firm-updates/>
[10]The University of Law, ‘Five ways the global pandemic will change the path for future lawyers’, blog, <https://www.law.ac.uk/resources/blog/covid-and-future-lawyers/>
[11]ibid
[12]ibid
[13]ibid
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