That is the viewpoint of Resolve Divorce founder Rose Cocchiaro, who told Lawyers Weekly that, for her firm, “the pivot was easy” once COVID-19 hit.

“Shifting our staff to working from home, and working primarily online was seamless given we were already online and paperless. Communicating the change to our clients and ensuring they still felt supported and serviced happened without difficulty, as we had strong and authentic relationships already built,” she explained.

“Operating entirely using cloud-based technology meant offering online consultancy and negotiations methods [were] simple, given our clients were already familiar with our modern approach.”

It was also necessary, Adelaide-based Ms Cocchiaro continued, for firms like hers to “quickly” move to offering fixed pricing and new payment options for clients.

“We partnered with appropriate finance providers and offered flexible payment options to our clients, to ensure they could continue to engage with our services without interruption or financial concerns. We were able to concentrate on efficiency to ensure we could accommodate our clients and remain competitive in the market,” she outlined.

“We also began offering online package deals to new clients who were on the search for a simple, cost-effective solution in such troubling times. We did all of this with little fuss or disruption. These changes, made quickly, meant that we have continued to service our clients, albeit slightly differently.”

For firms that can and do operate in such a fashion, there have been “so many” emerging opportunities since the outbreak of the pandemic, Ms Cocchiaro noted.

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“This pandemic is going to reward innovation and the businesses that can think fast and adapt faster will be boosted by it,” she submitted.

“Thinking more broadly about how we could use the situation to our advantage is something all business owners need to consider. For us as lawyers, we are now being shown by all lawyers, the court and the clients, that technology can work in the legal landscape. This means we can be creative in how and when we use it to our client’s advantage. The biggest opportunity at Resolve has been the response to our approach, which always has been to keep it out of court.

“Now more than ever, parties need other options to reach agreement. The court is not coping with the shift to technology. It is not coping with the number of urgent COVID applications. The community [is] looking for more efficient and effective ways to negotiate with their spouse, and to achieve an outcome.”

“We have always seen our approach as beneficial, but what has come to fruition as a result of the pandemic is that focusing on alternative dispute resolution that is innovative can work even in the most [unprecedented circumstances].”

Her firm is using this time, Ms Cocchiaro noted, to both employ innovative, tech-focused client service delivery and also advocate such an approach to legal peers – particularly in embracing new methods of negotiation and dispute resolution.

She is doing this, she said, “in hope that we ultimately engage in more outcome-focused negotiation methods that lead to quicker, more durable outcomes”.

“For us, we have thrived during this pandemic, because we see the benefits and opportunities available if you think outside the box,” she said.

Offering flexible, outcome-focused, online alternatives to achieving dispute resolution is the future, Ms Cocchiaro surmised.

“The challenge for firms in this crisis is to be brave in embracing your ability to change and be part of a movement that wants to practice law differently. It’s easy for both boutique and large firms to do things the same old way,” she mused.

“The pandemic has provided an opportunity for boutique firms, who have the flexibility to do so, to make serious changes to their business strategy and overall way of working – they just have to be brave enough to take the next step.

“Being boutique in essence means we have the ability to try and fail, without too much consequence, which means we can make the biggest impact/change on the community. That is what I am most excited about.”

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