Executive Director’s Report, 0720 ALBJ, Vol. 81 No. 4 Pg. 260 (July, 2020)

• Author: Phillip W. McCallum, J.
• Position: Vol. 81 4 Pg. 260

Executive Director’s Report

No. Vol. 81 No. 4 Pg. 260

Alabama Bar Lawyer

July, 2020

Phillip W. McCallum, J.

New Normal

On st. Patrick’s day this year, we made the decision to close the bar building to the public and send our employees home to work remotely. Law firms throughout the state were making similar decisions amid the concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

This worldwide pandemic affected all industries, and the legal profession is no different. some lawyers found themselves working around the clock to help clients navigate the new and uncharted legal waters. others were grappling with the substantial decrease in their workload and livelihood.

On top of all that, attorneys took on the challenge of serving clients remotely, implementing new technology to meet with and respond to clients through video-conference.

Through it all, our staff worked hard to keep the business of the bar on track. We immediately developed a COVID-19 webpage to keep Alabama attorneys informed of the rapidly changing situation. our page featured continuous updates from the supreme court as well as an interactive map which allowed attorneys to view local orders from every judicial district.

Bar leadership regularly met with judicial leaders to address questions and find solutions to keep cases moving forward and the court system open, even though the courthouses themselves were closed to the public

Alabama already had a state-of-the-art electronic filing system, and the courts added the ability to use Zoom...