Adam Gee,Jim Reed, Christina Sonsire, and Mike Brown.
It is nice to know that our decision to heavily invest in top-of-the line technology years ago is now helping us weather the storm of the mandatory shutdown of our office during the coronavirus crisis.
It is hard to believe now, but when I first started practicing law 34 years ago, it was almost unheard of for a lawyer to have a computer on his desk. In fact, I remember the managing partner of one Elmira law firm declaring “computers are for secretaries, not lawyers”. Thankfully, at ZiffLaw, the forward-looking lawyers understood the incredible power a computer could bring to every member of our law firm team and decided to heavily invest in this new technology.
We were the first law firm in the region to have a computer network – the first-generation Apple network – and the first law firm to have a website back in the dark ages. Before there were dedicated case management programs, we developed our own database to track our cases. And when scanners first became available, we bought them and put them on the desk of every member of our team so stacks of paper could be easily converted to computer files permitting us to find any document in our office in mere seconds.
We have always been on the bleeding edge of new technology, and that allowed us to make a smooth transition from our office in downtown Elmira to our homes as the coronavirus pandemic struck.
Our clients know we have been on the job every day, all of the lawyers and our paralegals and office staff working seamlessly every day. We are always available to communicate with our clients by phone or video chat. We have not missed a day of work.
Here is how we do it:
For many years, every document that comes into our office is scanned into our sophisticated case management system, which permits us to retrieve it in seconds, every document or piece of information in a case. This electronic filing system also makes it possible for us to access our cases from anywhere in the world, which makes remote working as effective and efficient as if we were sitting in the office.
All phone calls are still being answered by our receptionist Sara but she is doing this remotely from the safety of her own home. Sara can reach any member of our team in seconds via either email or cell phones.
Our mail is being picked up at the post office and then immediately scanned and emailed to the paralegal and lawyer working on the case.
We meet with our clients by phone or video chat, and look forward to the day we can meet with our clients at our law office or in their homes.
We won’t return to our office in downtown Elmira until it is safe to be together again but we WILL continue to work as a team every day.
So if you or a loved one is in need of a lawyer for an injury or malpractice case, please do not hesitate to give us a call at 800-ZIFFLAW (943-3529) or email us at info@zifflaw.com. As always, we are standing ready to help.
Be well and stay healthy!
Jim Reed, ZiffLaw Managing Partner
Best Lawyers’ “2015 & 2017 & 2019 Lawyer of the Year”