Page 24 - BusinessWest November 10, 2021

area is now locked; a sign taped to it provides a number to call for people with inquiries.
The biggest change, though, is the number
of lawyers to be found on the other side of the door — roughly half that from the days before the pandemic.
“A number of our lawyers have learned how to work at home, myself included — I couldn’t have worked at home at all before,
and I figured it out now. We’ve made that adjustment, and we have some lawyers who, either because of compromised health issues or simply because they have a long commute, are working predominantly from home.”
The rest are working remotely all or most of the time, something that took some getting used to — lawyers, especially, like the office setting, said Mulhern — but most have gotten over that hump.
Ken Albano, managing partner at Springfield- based Bacon Wilson, agreed. He noted that it’s
not uncommon to check his phone in the morning and hear from one or more of the firm’s attorneys letting him know they will be working remotely that day. As other firms have, Bacon Wilson has adjusted — there’s that word again — and become more flexible out of necessity, he said, adding quickly that the firm wants its lawyers and paralegals in the office at least some of the time.
“I’m old school,” he said. “I like the idea of being with a young lawyer or a young paralegal who needs men- toring and advice and has questions. It’s better for me to meet with them one-on- one, in person, with a mask on, as opposed to doing it via Zoom.”
In the grander scheme of things, though, where lawyers work, and whether there’s a recep- tionist or not, may well turn out to be some of the less significant adjustments, or changes, to result from the pandemic. The larger ones could involve recruiting young lawyers and the potential to add business as a result of the changing landscape.
Starting with the latter, Seth Stratton, manag- ing partner of East Longmeadow-based Fitzgerald Attorneys at Law, summed things up effectively and succinctly when he said “we sell time.” And with some of the changes brought about by the pandemic — including less time commuting to
Ken Albano says the pandemic has exacerbated an already- difficult situation when it comes to hiring lawyers and paralegals.
work and less time traveling to meet clients — there is, in theory, at least, more time to sell.
Also, now that clients of all kinds, but especial- ly business clients, have become accustomed to meeting with clients via Zoom and the telephone, there is potential to have such sessions with law firms based in the 413, which charge, on average, anywhere from one-half to two-thirds what law- yers in Boston and New York charge, and less than those in Hartford as well.
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24 NOVEMBER 10, 2021
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