Holiday season is around the corner, all of us can feel the Christmas joy in the air.This year was particularly hard for everyone, the whole world was at a standstill and only recently have there been some very steady movements.
Law as a profession witnessed a lot of change into the functioning of the industry because of the pandemic , lawyers accepted technology, started using case management softwares and even practiced in virtual courts.
Here’s some of the points to keep in mind while you are celebrating holidays in a pandemic . Everyone wants to take time off, blow some steam, spend time with family and friends and move to a new year with hope and happiness.
1.Be Strategic With Your Schedule
Many people complain about the stress of getting all their work done before a vacation, and then the stress of catching up and being affected when they return. Strategize your work and see that your most important work related to the most valuable clients with whom you have created a nurtured relationship is done so that your goodwill is not hampered.
2.Digital Detox For Your Stress Reduction
Technology connected us to the world in this pandemic, we resumed virtual offices and management on our phones, it filled the void but constant phone calls , emails to read and respond to, virtual sessions to appear in, seminars to conduct and messages to reply to can be very overwhelming. This Holiday season, plan a vacation, take that trip you always wanted to but remember that the pandemic isn’t over and stay safe. Disconnect from technology and relax.
Green ticks on your work check-list
Nobody likes working on holidays, it’s the time to celebrate , rejuvenate and be thankful .To celebrate yours with joy, try to meet all your expectations before you take that leave . Law is a dynamic profession but lawyers have the benefit of enjoying holidays since all legal offices are closed. So, see to it that you are done with the work which was of high priority and put a green tick on your done work.
3.Inform Clients, Colleagues, And Staff
Even though offices are closed, clients often reach out to lawyers for queries and suggestions. It is best to let them know that you are going on a holiday beforehand to save yourself from the ethical conundrum. Everyone deserves a leave, you do too. Give them someone’s contact for emergency services, someone who can cover for you. it’s a good bit of courtesy to let important people know in advance that you’ll be away so they can plan around you and build padding into their schedules for emergency situations.
4.Look ahead of your calendar
You need to look at what’s happening with workload a month after your vacation so that you can anticipate things clients or colleagues may need and may come looking for right in the middle of your vacation. Give separate roles and responsibilities so that emergency situations could be met by the right people at the right time.
5.Collect Your Outstanding Payments In Advance
Accumulate outstanding payments from the clients who have not cleared their payments with you so that you set up a payment alarm in advance. Doing this will ensure you that when you are back, your income and expenditure budget is not hampered and your workflow is operated smoothly and efficiently.
6.Set Up An E-Notification
As told earlier, it’s good for voicemails but essential for emails. People go nuts when an email isn’t reverted in a few minutes if it’s marked with that little red exclamation that means it’s urgent. The out of office auto-reply is necessary to get people to understand why they are not receiving a reply from you. Make sure you have an E notification that you aren’t available.
7.Plan Your Caseload With A Software Solution
Taking a vacation away becomes difficult for a lot of people, especially solo practitioners and small law firm lawyers because their management is limited. If you have a Legal Case Management Software that helps you manage your firm, you have nothing to worry about.
Legal Case Management Softwares manages your firm on your device from anywhere, you can check everyday progress and make suggestions while being on a Holiday. CaseFox – Legal Billing and Case Management Software provides you with this and many more services at the best prices in the market.
Holidays bring joy and CaseFox Legal software can make holidays for lawyers easy, accessible, and stress-free. Follow these checklists and go to your well deserved holiday with ease.
Stay Safe, Happy Holidays !
About CaseFox
CaseFox provides various advantages over the use of in-house installed time and billing software. First, you don’t need to manage hardware/software and make sure data is properly backed up. Second, unlike your in-house system, you don’t need to upgrade hardware or software. Further, CaseFox is available 24/7 from anywhere and the cost of using CaseFox is very low compared to your in-house installation and the time you have to spend managing it.If you are a solo professional or a small/medium/virtual firm, you may be hiring contract workers (e.g., contract attorneys) from time to time (if not today, you might do so tomorrow as your practice/business grows). CaseFox is a multi-user system that provides role based access to data. Just like staff members of your firm, your contract workers can also login (using their own user id/password) into your CaseFox account and enter their time and expenses.
Conclusion
Holiday season is the time where lawyers get little relief from the year-long workload and it’s important to have everything in order before going on a vacation.
Having a stress free vacation is important and we hope that our checklist has helped you seamlessly manage all your tasks that need to be addressed before vacation. Running a law firm is a job which needs a lot of things to be addressed, communicating to clients, document preparation, conflicting dates and much more. These tips will help you prepare everything before you leave for vacation.