Here in Pennsylvania, many lawyers are still working from home. In some cases, lawyers have returned to their offices, but are not physically meeting with clients or are only seeing them on a limited basis. To make sure people know you are available, in addition to putting a notice about the state of your office on your door, you should put one on your website. You should put your web address on the notice you put on your door.
Put a Link On Your Home Page
Begin by putting a clear link on your home page. Differentiate that link by color and size. Put something along the lines of:
Please read COVID-19 Information for Name Of Law Firm. Updated July 7, 2020.
This should be linked to a blog post or page with details about the state of your firm.
What to Include in the COVID-19 Post
In the body of the post, include details about whether your firm is physically open, whether you are seeing clients, how you are seeing them (for example let people know if you are using technology such as Zoom, GoToMeeting, or Microsoft Teams).
Also, let people know how to reach you. In addition, if there are unique considerations you know people might be concerned about, mention those. For example, if you are an estate planning attorney, let people know how you are handling signing documents. You might want to provide a separate post with details on this specific issue.
You might also want to let people know how to pay you. If people are used to coming by to drop off a check, for example, you might tell them to mail it. Or you might want to put a secure lockbox somewhere so they can leave checks.
You should also make certain to reassure your clients that you are working and meeting all deadlines and requirements, regardless of where you and your staff happen to be at any given moment. You don’t want people to worry that anything will be missed.
Why Put a Notice about COVID on your Website?
The key here is to make sure people understand that you are still available to represent them and that all work is getting done. You don’t want to lose potential clients because they think you are closed. You also don’t want your current clients to think you have disappeared.