Page 15 - Delaware Lawyer - Fall 2020

homes and reassurances about their current estate planning documents. We had to explain that certain things previously considered rights were now licenses that were being withdrawn. We declined to write letters or encour- age legal action because, though up- setting, these limitations were for the safety of others and themselves. Sadly, the most recent calls have been notify- ing us of a client who was hospitalized. In these ways, our clients have simply tracked the evolution of the pandemic, as it first encroached on personal free- doms, then redefined “risk,” and, for some, became a grim reality.
As we mastered Zoom, we saw im- provements in our performance. The time between a meeting with poten- tial clients and a signed fee agreement slowly returned to pre-pandemic pat- terns. We learned to become better broadcasters, while the clients learned the advantages of discussing difficult
topics in the comfort of their own homes. To our delight, we were gift- ed with glimpses of our clients’ home lives; an ever-changing landscape of cozy living rooms, beloved pets, and children acting as tech support. I have always said that the more we know, the better we can do our jobs, and this extra information was no exception.
Once estate plans were ready to be signed, we got creative. “Curbside signings” became and remain popu- lar, where we bring out clipboards — already tabbed for signatures — to our clients’ cars. The attorney, masked and gloved, supervises, and the wit- nesses observe from a safe distance. The Zoom signing is less weather- dependent (for the attorney’s sake), and well-liked by the clients who opt for it. In both cases, these meetings have become much more efficient than the old in-person model. When I consider a post-pandemic world, even
To our delight, we were gifted with glimpses of our clients’ home lives; an ever-changing landscape of cozy living rooms, beloved pets, and children acting as tech support. I have always said that the more we know, the better we can do our jobs.
if the ability to Zoom-sign goes away, I think curbside is something we will keep.
I do not have the benefit of a crystal ball, but I have lived long enough to recognize a sea change as opposed to an interval. Now, when I am forecast- ing for purposes of business planning, the challenges my firm faces seem to be those of staying the course: keep- ing morale high, proving to clients that we have transformed, and staying alert to changing winds, be they medical, political or societal.
Charles Darwin famously wrote: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” I think that Darwin’s warn- ing is the lesson of COVID-19; some- thing that we may have lost sight of but became inescapable and is now at the forefront of all of our lives.
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