Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Raghav Bajaj talks with Bloomberg Law about how social distancing could engender new tech habits among attorneys that change how law is practiced.
Here is an excerpt:
Law firms around the country have shut doors and ordered telework, while courts prepare to hold hearings by telephone and video conference. U.S. regulatory agencies, from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to the Securities and Exchange Commission, have moved much of their work to be done remotely.
Attorneys, generally considered to be slow tech-adopters, are coming around to remote-access technology tools, such as Zoom, Slack and LiveLitigation. The changes, forced by self-isolation amid the new Coronavirus outbreak, could accelerate technology development and change some key functions, such as deposing witnesses and participating in hearings.
Foreign corporate clients in places like China or Japan might find that sending employees to a settlement conference in the U.S. may not be the best use of resources, attorneys said.
Other litigation events, such as scheduling conferences, may also be ripe for more widespread transition to remote tools, Raghav Bajaj, an intellectual property practice group partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP, said.
“It’s a way to reduce costs on both sides, and to potentially even move things along more quickly,” Bajaj said. “It can be easier to make those dates if you don’t have to travel to them.”
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