While the long-term impact of the year remains unknown and the reverberations from the pandemic continue to ripple through daily life, the calendar year, at least, is done. 2020 is presumably over. Optimistically, the new year is a time to dust off and make plans for tomorrow. It is a time to move forward — a time to reconsider, reorient and refocus.
Reconsider: 2020 Topics to Keep In Mind
Sifting through all of the changes from last year to figure out what mattered amidst what happened is difficult at best. The word searched for most on Merriam-Webster last year was “pandemic”. While an outbreak or disease is generally implied, the scale of the impact is important. Pandemics are characterized by the breadth of their effect. Societies as a whole are impacted across a wide area. The downward cascade of change starts in waves across industries and fractures into veins of new expectations and engagements.
The legal industry has been impacted by social distancing, the shutdown and the changes to the economy. The pandemic served to fast track many changes already underway or in consideration due to societal pressure and technological advances. Legal services continue to adapt and adjust accordingly. ABC Legal’s coverage of litigation and legal services provides its readers with information on important changes in the industry. “ABC Legal’s Top Blog Posts of 2020” contains an array of posts blog readers found most interesting and impactful last year, from new service offerings for customers in Florida to national zombie debt collection rule changes.
Reorient: Change in 2021
The trend of change — of adjusting with the times — will continue into this year. Some of this year’s changes will be inherently different. People will begin to have a choice. They can, arguably, choose between steps back towards life before the pandemic, steps further away from what was normal and instances where they choose to stay and adopt 2020 changes permanently. As legal teams are looking to reassess business needs and realign with community expectations, the importance of evaluating the role of legal service providers cannot be understated. Figuring out how to weigh the costs and benefits of having work completed in-house or by an outside agency requires careful consideration and information.
“Between The Lines” is a recurring series of posts dedicated to providing information about legal services and ABC Legal Services’ specific product offerings. These posts look into broad topics in legal services and provide insight into the details needed to make decisions and get the job done. They offer a solid foundation to help you chart your course moving forward. ABC Legal’s “Between The Lines” will spend this year diving into what you should know to make informed decisions for yourself or for your practice.
Refocus: Legal Services in 2021
The growth and adoption of technology by the legal industry has spurred the rise of e-filing, especially as the benefits of electronic court filing have been proven out time and again. The shutdown of in-person interactions with the courts starting in the spring of 2020 has forced many districts to adopt the technology. With the continuation of the pandemic and the slow vaccine rollout, digital interactions will continue to be a necessity. Even when in-person processes and proceedings resume, e-filing may be here to stay even in previously reluctant districts, now that there is infrastructure in place to support it. As such, e-filing will continue to play an increasingly important role in the legal industry, making it the perfect topic to start with in 2021.
Previous posts from “Between The Lines” broadly explore e-filing. One walks through the basics of e-filing, ECFs, EFMs, and ESPS and another looks at the benefits of e-filing when compared to its physical counterpart. This year, deep dives into this topic will provide information around ABC Legal Services as an e-filing service provider, selecting the right ESPS for your practice, and the top mistakes made when e-filing. Throughout the year, expect to hear about legal services, legal tech and opportunities to redefine success in the legal sector and the legal services industry.
Be On the Lookout for Updates
E-filing — as well as other legal services — will continue to evolve and adjust with the times, shifting the goal posts for what is needed to do business in the industry. To keep up with the moving target of success, a proactive approach is necessary. Stay tuned in to news outlets, apps, industry blogs, and social media to see what the industry is talking about. Following publications around relevant topics — like legal tech — can ensure that you’re constantly getting the latest and greatest updates on changes and trends. Subscribing to ABC Legal’s blog is a great place to start. Find the latest news around litigation, legal tech and legal services on the blog or on ABC Legal’s social media channels.
About ABC Legal Services
ABC Legal is the nation’s leading service of process and court filing company and is the official process server to the U.S. Department of Justice. Docketly is a subsidiary of ABC Legal, providing appearance counsel on a digital, custom-built platform that smoothly integrates with our applications and services. ABC Legal’s applications are cloud-based and compatible for use on desktop, browser, and smartphones. Our solutions and digital approach ensure process server partners, law firm customers, and their clients save valuable time and resources when serving legal notices safely and with maximum compliance, control, and transparency. ABC Legal is based in Seattle, WA, with more than 2,000 process servers throughout the U.S., as well as internationally in more than 75 countries. To learn more about ABC Legal, our solutions, and subsidiary company Docketly, visit www.abclegal.com.
