Access Your Attorney Corona Virus (COVID-19)

Your Secure Client Portal Provides 24 Hour Access to Your Attorney

Schools are shut down.  Restaurants are shut down.  Many other businesses are shut down or are highly restricted as to what they can do (No more than ten people gathering at once, for example.)  Importantly to us, the courts are somewhat shut down; they are generally hearing only emergency or urgent matters.  At the Bob Leonard Law Group, we are generally carrying on normal operations.

The degree that this pandemic affects the courts is different, depending on the county. Some counties are just suspending jury trials, while some are suspending all non-emergency trials.

Nearly ten years ago, we adopted a “client portal” for communicating with our clients and sharing documents.  Until now, this has been a tremendous benefit for both us and our clients. Now, it is truly a “game-changer.”

Shortly after we moved to the client portal system, the Supreme Court of Texas ordered that courts begin the use of electronic filing for documents.  Again, this was beneficial to our practice; now it is essential.

In addition to the portal and electronic filing, several years ago, we were adversely affected when the electricity in our building was off for two weeks due to an ice storm.  We were forced to work remotely.

Virtual Office is a “Game Changer” for Our Clients

At that time, we decided to move all of our essential services to the “cloud.”  We wanted to be in a position, if something like that happened again, that we could get right back to work within a day.  It took several months, but we finally achieved our goal.  I can now pick up my laptop (or buy a new one if mine is destroyed – which sometimes happens), log into our various secure on-line accounts, and be up and running very quickly.  Our whole office has that capacity.

Because of this, our entire team can seamlessly serve our clients during this time.  Sure, there will be issues, but we will figure them out.  As I write this, our Executive Assistant is preparing for remote notary capability.

Interestingly, most of us had planned to work remotely this week and next week, anyway.  We are expanding our offices and have about two weeks of construction and painting going on in the office.  Other than the one person coordinating the construction, no one planned on being in the office for a week or two. We were planning on working remotely, even without the action necessitated by COVID-19.

However, we can extend that, if necessary, for as long it takes.