Report: Providing Legal Services Remotely: A Guide to Available Technologies and Best Practices (DLA Piper, Legal Empowerment Network, New Perimeter, and Open Society Justice Initiative 2021)

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to confront the reality that providing legal services remotely is not only necessary to meet the needs of clients, but it is also in the best interest of public health and reducing the risk of infection. Meeting with a client in-person is now often impossible. And even when it is possible – is it wise? Inperson meetings might not only threaten the health of the client and legal services staff, but also their families and communities. The purpose of this guide is to highlight some of the ways to provide legal services remotely. Technology has evolved to allow for remote “meetings.” Videoconferencing is now commonly available to anyone with a computer or mobile phone through Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, and other accessible platforms.

Providing legal services remotely presents new challenges. Public Wi-Fi networks raise concerns of confidentiality and privacy, as does the transfer of information over the internet or through instant messaging. It can also be a challenge to obtain signatures on legal documents when client meetings are only conducted remotely. This guide addresses those issues.

Recommended Citation: DLA Piper, Legal Empowerment Network, New Perimeter, and Open Society Justice Initiative, "Providing a legal Services Remotely: A Guide to Available Technologies and Best Practices" (2021), https://namati.org/resources/providing-legal-services-remotely-guide-2021/ (last visited Jul 15, 2021).