Post-coronavirus could erase need for courtrooms altogether
Coronavirus restrictions will successfully challenge entrenched views and traditions in firms and will make for a better profession, according to TGB partner and Law Society of South Australia President Tim White, when he spoke to Lawyers Weekly.
Coronavirus restrictions will successfully challenge entrenched views and traditions in firms and will make for a better profession, according to the Law Society of South Australia.
President of the Law Society of South Australia Tim White said the forced changes to law firms are highly likely to continue well past the end of the pandemic, drawing on the quote that “you learn more from your mistakes than from your successes”.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has forced many to adapt to innovative practices that have not previously been considered. This is especially important as lawyers will be experiencing unprecedented demand for their advice, in areas of law such as workplaces, wills and estates and all business-related issues relating to operations.
Lawyers have moved predominantly to using digital technologies in place of appointments usually conducted in person, which still permits expert advice to be provided but in a much more time-efficient way, Mr White said. This also goes for all courts and tribunals, which are adopting significant changes to the way that they typically function.
“Why did more businesses not utilise these readily available technologies earlier?” noted Mr White. “Probably due to habit and our innate desire for personal interaction.”
Mr White added that many court appearances may not necessarily require parties to have to be there in person, and that courtrooms could even become a thing of the past: “This all sounds like a Hollywood movie but could become a reality!”