What’s next? The impact of COVID-19 on Australian corporate legal departments

Our lives have changed irreparably over the last months. No one knows the long-term impact COVID-19 will have on the world, our economies, our communities and the individual. The pandemic will likely be etched into the psyches of all who experience it over our lifetimes.

Fortunately, the resilience of humanity is inspirational, with stories of national leadership, community support, heroism from our health and community workers, and outreach to those in need. However, that support is not evenly distributed, with communities across the world suffering not just the pandemic, but poverty, injustice, racism and dislocation. The world is experiencing an unprecedented political and social upheaval.

It’s hard sometimes to concentrate, let alone to make an impact. How do we respond as a world community? A nation? An individual?

Sometimes, we just have to keep going, placing one foot in front of another, supporting those within our circle of influence, however small, sharing our stories and discoveries, doing what we can to contribute to the body of knowledge within our own sphere.

With those thoughts in mind, we are pleased to share the findings of our study on how Australian legal counsel, legal departments and their organisations have managed the pandemic to date. We examine the specific procedures undertaken, the emergence of remote working, the types of technologies employed, changes to workloads and budgets, and the legal counsels’ predictions for their communities, organisations, teams and working lives.

We welcome your feedback, comments and input on our research. 

You can find our report by clicking here.