As a solo practitioner using the assistance of other lawyers and legal assistants on an as-needed basis, I have long prided myself on a combination of efficiency and the ability to respond to many different client situations. Those include Michigan court cases, litigation in other jurisdictions, agency negotiations at the state and federal level, administrative proceedings, appeals, arbitration and other dispute resolution, and more. Key tools used to be fax and fed ex, with email taking over much of the communication. Conferencing services. Availability 24/7. But more recently, we have added Zoom as a tool and it is useful not only for remote court hearings but also for client meetings, discovery, negotiations with adverse parties, and many other aspects of the practice of law.
Having practiced in many jurisdictions from one or two office locations for much of my career, I have now gone back to keeping only one main office and have let go of office space in multiple jurisdictions as unnecessary.
The practice of law has not changed at its core - careful research, familiarity with the law and procedure and a dedication to staying updated and researching recent developments, respect for opposing parties combined with zealous work to best represent the client’s interests. But with covid and technology developments, many parts of the work that once took more time for travel have become more efficient. Many who would not have considered meeting by phone are now getting comfortable with meeting remotely via a service like Zoom. Judges are more and more agreeable to saving all parties and counsel substantial travel time for hearings, especially status conferences, motion hearings and similar short meetings.
Bar associations are trying to keep up. Larger firms may downsize their space to a practice closer to that used by attorneys like me, whose combined goals are quality of work and representation plus efficiency in how the client goals are met. Clients are looking for responsiveness, skill, experience and a willingness to do the work required to proceed. Those things have not really changed.
Practice changes and yet it also stays the same. The Superfund and property cases of 30 years ago continue unabated. Natural resource cases change with legislated amendments and differing practices and commercial and social priorities. The breadth and variety of environmental and natural resources law remains its hallmark, with this expansive but still young and growing area of law and practice always changing in some way.
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