COVID-19 Has Disrupted the Legal Industry

Carolynn Beck and Conor McDonough

Carolynn Beck is an experienced commercial litigator licensed in California, the District of Columbia, New York, and Virginia. She handles a wide range of matters, including complex business litigation, and labor & employment litigation and counseling. She has counseled and advised business owners and employers, and has represented clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 companies.

Conor McDonough holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania, along with a J.D. from Fordham University. He focuses on IP litigation across a range of diverse technologies and has also represented clients in trade secret/ trademark/copyright litigation, commercial contract disputes, and class actions with a view to promoting social justice.

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the legal industry. At the beginning of the pandemic, law firms who had failed to adopt remote working technology for their lawyers and staff grappled with new social distancing limitations on their traditional approach to practice. Some firms were forced to furlough or lay off their people, and many well-established firms braced themselves for the predicted lack of productivity in the months ahead by reducing partner draws and cutting associate salaries.