AXEL.org

remote lawyer

AXEL’s Guide to Remote Work

In March 2020, nearly every office worker was filled with anxiety about the prospect of remote work. With no warning and little preparation, a significant portion of the world’s workforce was forced to do their jobs from home, many with no experience of at-home work whatsoever. It was a stressful and unique time, learning new skills and software from home, all while the looming threat of COVID-19 was ever-present in peoples’ lives. This radical, immediate shift to at-home work was unlike anything workers had ever faced before.

But then something funny happened: We got used to it. Not only did employees begin to tolerate remote work, but they enjoyed it more than traditional work at the office. In fact, nearly 50% of workers stated that they’d take a pay cut to continue working remotely [1]. 25% stated that they would quit their jobs if they couldn’t work remotely anymore, and 70% say they find virtual meetings less stressful than in-person meetings.

Now, with remote work popularized and here to stay, here are some ways to maximize your efficiency, create a healthy work-life balance, and overcome some of the unique challenges of at-home work.

Maintain a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Although remote work offers incredible flexibility for employees, that flexibility comes with a price. 45% of remote workers say they work longer hours than they did before, and the picture is even bleaker for younger workers [2]. With the rise of remote work, employees are working longer hours and more weekends, putting a healthy work-life balance at risk. With bedrooms becoming the new office, it can be concerningly easy for worklife and homelife to blur. Thankfully, there are a few strategies that can help workers separate their job and their home life.

First, one of the most useful strategies to utilize is scheduling. Most employees have a specific time to clock in and clock out. Even when you’re working from home, sticking to those specific times helps separate work and home. Additionally, it’s helpful to schedule breaks in advance as well, to provide structure to the workday. Creating a schedule and sticking to it is one of the best ways to prioritize a healthy work-life balance. 

Additionally, it’s helpful to create specific places for work as well. Set aside a desk, office, or even just a chair for work, and only use it during work hours. This way, your home can be split into two, with distinct workspaces and homespaces. This way, once you’re at your work desk, you’ll be able to focus solely on work, rather than allowing your work life and home life to intersect. Although these strategies sound simple, they help workers separate their work and personal lives immensely. Just following these two strategies can help maintain (or even increase) worker efficiency, while also promoting healthy distinctions between work and home.

Embrace Change

When workers were sent home in March 2020, they were forced to learn new programs on the fly. From Zoom meetings to Slack channels, workers involuntarily embraced modern workplace technology. Many workers had never even participated in a Zoom meeting before the pandemic, but now they’re practically the norm. Additionally, programs like Slack, Skype, and Microsoft Teams surged in popularity, even among offices that were previously low-tech. Ultimately, although the pandemic forced employers and workers to try new programs, it allowed nearly every workplace to embrace modern workplace technology. Now, nearly every worker is technologically savvy enough to get work done from home. The rapid modernization of many offices was certainly one of the hidden blessings of the pandemic.

In addition to embracing new software and programs, remote work has allowed employees to embrace new places as well. On the more common side, many workers enjoy leaving their homes for part of the workday. After all, some people may work best next to the office-like bustle of a coffee shop, or the eerie silence of a local library. Remote work allows workers to try out different working environments to determine which location works best for them. Additionally, some workers have even become “digital nomads,” employees who travel often, but are still full-time remote workers. Because remote work allows unprecedented flexibility in where work gets done, it’s no wonder why many employees prefer working out of the office.

Utilize New Tech

Even before the pandemic hit, new workplace collaboration software made our jobs so much easier. Now, dozens of useful programs are readily available to businesses, making the transition to remote work even more simple. Useful programs include: 

  • Slack, a business communication software that features chat rooms organized by department, team chats, and direct messaging.
  • Todoist, a workplace organizing software that schedules and shares tasks, meetings, and projects.
  • GitHub, a hosting service for software development that allows users to comment and collaborate on each other’s coding projects.
  • Clio, a practice management software for law firms that collects and finalizes documents remotely.

Don’t be afraid to try out new technology! There are dozens of useful programs available, no matter what industry you work in. Whether it be work automation or business communication, workplace software is a wonderful tool that can help your business. Embracing new technology can be scary, but the benefits certainly outweigh the stress. After all, we were all anxious about Zoom meetings in 2020, but now, they’re second-nature, and help us get work done effectively. The best workers and businesses are unafraid of trying out new technology, so keep an eye out for new programs that can help you get work done more efficiently.

Communication is Key

During in-office work, it’s easy to stay in the loop. With remote work, staying informed and updated on your team’s latest projects can be a bit trickier. That’s why it’s extremely important to communicate often with coworkers and managers alike. Make group chats with your team, so no one is left behind, and follow up often to ensure everyone is on the same page. Without in-person meetings, everyone has to know their responsibilities. Embracing consistent, clear communication helps ensure that tasks don’t slip through the cracks.

Additionally, communication doesn’t only have to be about work. One of the biggest drawbacks of remote work is the loss of office camaraderie. This loss is particularly felt by young employees, many of whom are starting their career without ever meeting their coworkers in real life [3]. One way to mitigate this effect is to encourage casual conversation among employees. Whether it be as simple as a “water cooler” Slack channel or occasional Zoom hangouts with coworkers, fostering connections between employees not only helps workers avoid burnout, but also helps cultivate a distinct company culture.

Overcome Challenges Together

One of the most difficult aspects of remote work is time management, particularly when your coworkers are in different time zones. Unplanned meetings are often too difficult to pull off successfully in a remote work environment. That’s why it’s extremely important to plan projects, tasks, and meetings well in advance, so every employee knows what’s coming up, and when to be available. Of course, sometimes things come up and require immediate action, but giving your best effort to plan in advance not only helps you stay organized; it helps your entire office stay coordinated and running smoothly.

Finally, one of the biggest challenges with remote work is technology. With no on-site IT department, workers are often on their own when they encounter a tech problem. That’s why businesses ought to have clear guidelines regarding technology. Some helpful tech tips include:

  • Only using secure Wi-Fi networks.
  • Immediately downloading software updates.
  • Using a secure file-sharing service (like AXEL Go!)
  • Creating an incident response plan in the event of a data breach.

Tech problems will always be present, whether you’re working at the office or at home. That’s why offices need to communicate with employees regarding technology and cybersecurity. Creating and enforcing technology guidelines can help both employees and the business stay safe from cyberthreats.

About AXEL

As remote work becomes the norm, cybersecurity ought to be a priority for all businesses. At AXEL we believe that your information deserves the best protection. That’s why we created AXEL Go. AXEL Go uses military-grade encryption, blockchain technology and decentralized servers to ensure it’s the best file transfer software on the market. Whether you need cloud video storage or cloud file management, AXEL Go is the secure file hosting solution. If you’re ready to try the best file sharing app for PC and mobile devices, try two free weeks of AXEL Go here.

[1] Collins, Terry. “Work Remote after COVID? Nearly 50% of US Workers Would Take a Pay Cut for It, Survey Says.” USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, November 11, 2021. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/11/11/workplace-survey-remote-pay-cut-covid/6367601001/

[2] Maurer, Roy. “Remote Employees Are Working Longer than Before.” SHRM. SHRM, July 6, 2021. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-news/pages/remote-employees-are-working-longer-than-before.aspx

[3] Petersen, Anne Helen, and Charlie Warzel. “Remote Work Is Failing Young Employees.” The New York Times. The New York Times, November 22, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/opinion/remote-work-gen-z.html

How Remote Work Affects the Legal Profession

The lockdowns and restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic transformed the way people work. This is especially true for legal professionals, as attorneys used to long hours in the office and courtroom were mandated to work from home. It was a considerable departure from business-as-usual and resulted in significant ramifications for the industry.

A unique sector

The legal industry is a notorious laggard when it comes to embracing technological advancements. And, for good reason too! Who would want to go digital after sparing no expense on all those leatherbound legal tomes that look so classy adorning the office bookshelf? Kidding aside, it’s true; in 2018, over 80% of Legal Departments claimed they were unprepared for digital transformation[1]. While late 2018 may seem like eons ago after spending the past year cooped up, it was well after most industries embraced the advantages of increased digitalization.

Then, the pandemic hit, and law firms scrambled to condense a decade’s worth of technological evolution into a few months. With nearly all organizations experiencing problems due to COVID-19, it is not surprising that the legal profession was especially susceptible. It’s easy to argue that this accelerated implementation is a good thing in the long run, but let’s look at some of the short-term growing pains.

Increased cyber attacks

Law firms are already high-priority targets for hackers due to their business’s inherently confidential and sensitive nature. The fact that firms had to switch to remote working basically overnight exacerbates this problem. Whereas traditional cybersecurity deals with setting up and maintaining perimeter defenses, what happens when there is no longer a definable perimeter?

Attorneys in the same practice are now spread out throughout their regions. Some may only use approved devices to do work, while others skirt guidelines and conduct business on their personal phones, tablets, laptops, or PCs. Some firms may not even have concrete policies in the first place! These significant discrepancies increase the attack surface for malicious agents. It’s unlikely that the IT department or third-party cybersecurity firm can monitor every single device each lawyer will be using. This unfortunate dynamic resulted in more instances of:

  • Phishing. Scammers posing as legitimate colleagues or clients send emails or other forms of communication to trick victims into clicking malware-infested links and attachments. Phishing attempts rose across the board last year, with some analysts claiming an increase of 85% over pre-COVID levels[2].
  • Ransomware. Once threat actors compromise a computer system, they often attempt to install ransomware. This type of malware encrypts as much data as it can find on the system, then the hacker group responsible for the attack demands a ransom to restore it. Incidents of ransomware rose significantly in 2020[3], with high-profile attacks such as the one against celebrity law firm Grubman Shire Meiselas and Sacks. In that case, hackers demanded a $42 million (!) ransom, which, when left unpaid, resulted in privileged client data leaked to the Dark Web[4].

Slower data breach detection

Due to many of the same variables mentioned above (lack of consistent monitoring, use of unapproved hardware, users spread across a wider geographic area), remote work increases the time it takes to detect data breaches. In an IBM survey, 76% of respondents agreed with that conclusion[5]. In the field of Law, where cybersecurity budgets are already stretched thin, this is a major issue.  Slower detection times can mean more time for hackers to map out networks, leading to more inaccessible files, higher ransoms, and larger overall breaches that can irreparably damage a practice’s reputation.

Shifting job expectations

Attorneys (especially Junior or mid-level ones) typically have pretty rigid schedules and expectations. The pandemic has thrown this into flux. Lawyers with children are the most affected. If the parents are working from home, chances are the kids are distance learning too. This means that professionals who usually have a large window of the day’s time blocked off specifically for their career now have to share that time with parental duties.

Firms must meet these new requirements by allowing for schedule flexibility or even reduced workloads. Otherwise, an already-stressful occupation becomes unmanageable, leading to poor performance.

Disrupted development tracks

Younger attorneys gain experience and learn on-the-job. Working from home can stunt their professional growth and take away otherwise organically-appearing opportunities. This is because they lose the ability to attend events such as hearings, depositions, witness meetings, and more with their experienced colleagues.

It also prevents interactions with senior attorneys in the office or courthouse halls. This can adversely affect the chances of a helpful mentorship and important professional relationships. While digital correspondence and interaction are possible, many parts of an in-person exchange cannot be replicated on a Zoom call or email.

Ways to deal with these issues

In a time with reduced revenues, investing in large-scale cybersecurity projects is probably not a viable option. So, while hiring more IT professionals or a dedicated SOC-as-a-Service (Security Operations Center) company to shore up your networks is a great idea, it may not be possible.  We recommend implementing other low-cost suggestions to protect your organization.

  • Ongoing cybersecurity training. Most of the time, organizations can avoid data breaches by training employees on the basics of cybersecurity best practices. Consult with your IT team and construct an ongoing curriculum that informs your team how to spot phishing emails and what policies your firm has in place regarding data sharing, personal device usage, and more.
  • Require strong passwords and 2-Factor Authentication (2FA). Prevent brute force attacks by requiring team members to set up strong, phrase-based passwords. Then, mandate 2FA for all logins to firm networks through unrecognized hardware. Unless you’re dealing with extremely sophisticated hackers, these two no-cost solutions offer excellent protection.
  • Vet new software and cloud solutions. If your practice didn’t allow working from home previously, chances are you’ll need to invest in some cloud or enterprise solutions. Make sure you use trusted vendors with documented cybersecurity safeguards. Remember, your system is only as strong as the weakest link. A lesson that law firm Goodwin Procter recently learned when hackers breached their third-party file transfer vendor[6].
  • Utilize data encryption. Encrypting your data is essential these days. Strong encryption means even if malicious agents could breach your system and access information, it wouldn’t be useful or even viewable unless they had the decryption key.
  • Implement Access Controls. Everyone in your organization doesn’t need access to all the potential files on the network. While it might take some work to segment and decide individual permissions, doing so promotes resiliency. It means that if someone is able to hack a low-level employee, they don’t automatically gain access to highly confidential information.
  • Have a mitigation plan. As of 2019, 25% of firms have experienced a data breach, and 36% report malware infections. Knowing this, a mitigation plan is crucial. All of the top-level decision-makers need to get together and agree on a roadmap for damage reduction. It could be the difference between an unfortunate blip or the complete loss of client trust.
  • Remain flexible. As we’ve seen, cybersecurity is only a part of the work-from-home equation. Firms also need to ensure their lawyers are in a good mental state and in a position to provide high-performance to their clients. This may mean making some changes regarding work schedules and workloads. Allowing this flexibility can actually be a good thing for clients as well, as perhaps some of their schedules will line up better this way.
  • Facilitate interactions. Don’t neglect the everyday interactions that make practicing law special, especially for your junior attorneys. Perhaps you could set up office hours with the senior team or have an open Zoom room for your organization where everyone has to check in daily to preserve basic socialization.

These trying times present new challenges every day. Your organization can weather the storm and come out better for it on the other side. Take the situation seriously and evolve intelligently, and you’ll be fine.

Protect your documents

Having a trusted data transfer solution is critical to protecting your firm’s and clients’ confidential information. As the situation with Goodwin Procter confirms, your organization needs a vendor committed to preventing hacks.

AXEL Go is a cloud file-sharing and storage solution that puts security and privacy first. It runs on a decentralized and distributed network that is resilient to breaches. All data transferred via AXEL Go is split into smaller pieces called ‘shards’ and spread across many secure servers. Your files can also be protected using AES 256-bit encryption, ensuring industry-leading data security for your most sensitive documents. If your firm needs a data transfer and storage solution, contact us today to discuss your needs and schedule a demo.

 

 

[1] Rob van der Meulen, “Gartner Says 81 Percent of Legal Departments Are Unprepared for Digitalization”, Gartner, Dec. 12, 2018, https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2018-12-12-gartner-says-81-percent-of-legal-departments-are-unprepared-for-digitalization

[2] Phil Muncaster, “Experts Detect 30,000% Increase in #COVID19 Threats”, Infosecurity Magazine, Apr. 27, 2020, https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/experts-detect-30000-increase/

[3] “Mid-Year Threat Landscape Report 2020”, BitDefender, 2020, https://www.bitdefender.com/files/News/CaseStudies/study/366/Bitdefender-Mid-Year-Threat-Landscape-Report-2020.pdf

[4] Akshaya Asokan, “Ransomware Gang Demands $42 Million From Celebrity Law Firm”, Bank Info Security, May 16, 2020, https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/ransomware-gang-demands-42-million-from-celebrity-law-firm-a-14292

[5] “Cost of a Data Breach 2020”, IBM Security, 2020, https://www.ibm.com/security/digital-assets/cost-data-breach-report/#/

[6] Meghan Tribe, “Goodwin Procter Says It Was Hit by Data Breach of Vendor”, Bloomberg Law, Feb. 2, 2021, https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/goodwin-procter-says-it-was-hit-by-data-breach-of-vendor