Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted legal information services within law firms, prompting librarians to adapt quickly to remote work and support seamless access to services and resources. The pandemic has reinforced the strategic role of information professionals in helping law firms meet changing client expectations and facilitating change management among staff. The 2020 Benchmarking + Legal Information Services Survey (BLISS) highlights key topics such as cost management, coordination of print materials, supporting innovation, research requests, and work-from-home policies.
Cost management opportunities
The office closures resulting from the pandemic have led to several cost management opportunities. According to respondents, most of the potential for cost management focuses on the elimination and reduction of print resources.
Law firms have capitalized on the shift to virtual work by canceling many of their print resources, as attorneys have adapted well to practicing law using digital materials during the pandemic. Attorneys are increasingly realizing they may not need print resources and cutting them is seen as a group effort to reduce costs and be financially responsible. However, convincing attorneys to give up print remains a primary challenge for some firms, indicating some reluctance to fully transition away from print despite the successful test case during the pandemic.
Beyond print-focused savings efforts, the other cost management initiatives referenced by participants include the following:
For cost management opportunities not related to print, there were several differences related to the size of respondents’ firms:
- Responses regarding changes to staff were most frequent in the Am Law 101-200, including staff compensation reductions and reductions in FTE hours.
- Consideration of a transition to sole source (i.e., either Lexis or Westlaw as the primary provider) was the highest in the Am Law 51-100.
- Only the Am Law 1-50 and 51-100 segments responded that they had been asked to increase outsourcing.
Coordination of print materials
Since the start of the pandemic, law firm librarians had to make quick decisions regarding how to handle physical materials to mitigate the potential risk of virus transmission. As offices begin to reopen, law firms should consider, if they have not already, how to access these materials safely. With so many urgent considerations drawing their attention, it is not surprising the majority of survey respondents (59%) reported that firm leadership did not mandate any safety protocols for handling print collections.
Firms are recognizing the expertise of librarians in developing tailored workflows and policies to mitigate the transmission risk of COVID-19 through print materials. Many librarians are following guidance from The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), which suggests quarantining materials as the best approach to combat the virus's spread, and using bags to handle items if a dedicated quarantine space is not available. Information professionals have the chance to educate organizational leadership and develop policies to mitigate risk by implementing quarantine procedures, disinfection methods, home or firm-based material requirements, and signage in the physical library to restrict access.
Supporting firm innovation initiatives
Information professionals play a crucial role in supporting their firms' innovation initiatives by providing essential access to quality legal information, aiding attorneys in adapting to new work structures, and contributing to the implementation of innovation strategies.
Survey respondents highlighted a diverse range of innovation initiatives involving information professionals, including expanding online resources, knowledge management, automating functions, upgrading the intranet, and supporting the implementation of business intelligence tools and document automation. Responses further demonstrated the broad scope of innovation, encompassing various initiatives from robot process automation to horizon scanning, indicating that librarians are continuously innovating and contributing valuable insights and improvements to their firms' operations.
Research requests
Since the pandemic and the resulting move to a fully remote workforce, over half of survey respondents indicated that their departments had experienced an increase in requests, not just during regular business hours, but also after-hours and on the weekends.
Only a fraction of respondents indicated a decline in request volume, while 35% indicated that there had been no change, either way, in the overall volume of requests. Given the probability that service levels are unlikely to be reduced and will, likely continue to increase, law firm and departmental leadership must find ways to support information professionals in the time of increased pressure. Possible operational changes could include:
- Reallocating department responsibilities and priorities
- Utilization of innovation such as self-service tools, expanded portal offerings, use of bots, etc.
- Exploration of the use of outsourcing to support departmental functions.
Work from home policies for information professionals
Before March 2020, only a slim majority (55%) of law firms had work-from-home (WFH) policies, often limited to exempt employees. However, due to the pandemic, firms quickly adapted to the virtual workplace and are now examining the post-pandemic work environment, with a significant focus on positioning themselves as remote-friendly employers for staff and attorneys to remain competitive. None of the surveyed firms indicated a firm "No" to continuing WFH options, signaling a likely trend towards ongoing remote work flexibility.
The large number of "Unknown" responses regarding the future of remote working in law firms may be due to the recent nature of the shift, making it challenging for leadership to predict the organization's long-term approach. The successful implementation of WFH during the pandemic has dispelled previous concerns about remote work, but it remains uncertain whether firms will fully revert to office working after an extended period of remote work, especially if offices remain closed through 2021 and potentially into 2022.
Conclusion
The pandemic has brought many changes to law firm operations and research services, many of which will likely be permanent. Information professionals have found opportunities to manage costs and improve processes in the current environment, even while seeing increasing workloads in some areas. These successes highlight the value information professionals can bring to their organizations, as well as the opportunities to continue their forward-looking initiatives as law firms emerge from the current environment.
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- Benchmarking
- Information management
- Law firm library
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