As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have an impact on our economy and social structures, it comes as no surprise that the way people work – and the digital tools used – differ substantially from our experience of pre-pandemic work. Across the globe, organisations are extending a suite of remote work options, including full-time remote work, hybrid remote work and flexible personalised plans. The legal profession is no exception to this trend, and in facilitating the shift, a variety of digital tools and services have been implemented to optimise the experience of remote legal work. These tools and services include virtual meeting platforms, digital hearing and filing platforms for courts, e-signatures, digital document review and e-discovery. The international uptake of digital tools and services in legal work signals a shift towards a new ‘normal’ in the profession. While being a lawyer was once synonymous with paper stacks and extensive physical libraries, digital tools and services have made the same world available through one’s laptop. The sustainability of the shift and our new ‘normal’ is also due in part to legislative reforms during the height of the pandemic that enabled an increased use of digital tools and services, and which in some cases continue to be in effect today. This article will examine how several jurisdictions, namely Australia, Belgium, India, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom, adapted their legislative frameworks to facilitate remote work, the impact of remote work on the legal profession, the various innovations adopted in the context of the pandemic and whether such innovations and associated changes were maintained after the lifting of associated restrictions.
Released on May 25, 2023
Released on Jun 29, 2021