The legal industry writ large is struggling to figure out the best method to continue working remotely. Mega firms can rely on their equally large IT professionals to forge a smooth transitions. High-tech boutiques can rely on their nimble infrastructure to pivot quickly to a virtual presence. But in the middle are a lot of small practices that have never planned for a world where they can’t meet clients face-to-face at the office.
A month ago, our Clio talk mostly centered around CEO Jack Newton’s new book, The Client-Centered Law Firm (affiliate link). The legal industry never really got the Dale Carnegie/Six Sigma moment — while the rest of corporate America took the time to get introspective on the philosophy and practice of business success, the legal profession was still too busy “being lawyers” to systematically break down how to build a successful business. Armed with lessons learned from Clio’s partnership with over 150K users and his own experience building a business, Newton aimed to give the legal industry that practical and philosophical touchstone.
Now Newton’s got a chance to show how the client-centered approach works in a crisis. Clients still need lawyers during a pandemic. Indeed, some clients need lawyers now more than ever. For those firms caught thinking they would never need a robust work-from-home plan — and not just from a technological perspective, but from an all-around mental health perspective too — Clio is offering help in the form of committing “$1 million to help law firms navigate the difficulties that lie ahead.”
In a statement released this morning, Newton explained that the industry is about to “compress change that would have transpired over the course of years into change that needs to happen over a course of weeks.” That’s a tall order.
If your firm needs to figure out how to maintain business continuity or collaborate across a newly-remote workforce while still providing quality services to your clients, we’ll help you navigate that. If you are a legal organization or charity providing mental health support during this stressful time, we want to assist. If you are part of the legal community and have expertise to share or are looking for best practices from an industry leader, we want to help bridge that connection.
Clio’s vision for this aid takes a number of forms from offering help getting set up on Clio’s platform to educational support to direct financial aid to assist firms and legal support organizations and charities with the transition.
Hear more from Newton and if you’re interested in applying or just learning more about the program, check it out here:
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.