By Erin Knutson

It’s business as usual for Rella Paolini Rogers (RPR). The Cranbrook-based law firm has been providing extensive legal services to companies and individuals in Alberta and British Columbia since 1980. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception.

“We’ve had an almost seamless transition – 60% of our employees are working from home remotely and we are able to accomplish a lot through the use of virtual meetings,” said RPR Partner Wesley Rogers.

RPR has been able to successfully accommodate and reassure clients while maintaining social distancing rules and regulations.

“The COVID-19 situation happened in the middle of everything, and in our circumstance, it was in the middle of litigation. It was in the middle of a commercial deal and various ongoing legal matters. Our clients needed to know they were still going to get a continued level of service and that matters could move forward,” said Rogers.

The legal profession is about change and adaptation, according to Rogers, and the transition has been a learning curve that his industry and firm facilitated naturally. For RPR, business, as usual, was never a question – it was merely continuing with what they’ve always done.

“We haven’t been anxious whatsoever, we were prepared, and not necessarily for a pandemic. We were prepared with remote capabilities and to react to situations that are out of our control,” said Rogers.

Putting employees at ease and establishing a secure working environment was a priority to the firm as it took command in the early stages of COVID-19.

“Our immediate reaction was to get our employees set up first. We wanted to reassure them of their employment during this time and to maintain that we would be able to provide for them,” he said.

Investing in remote capabilities, tools, technologies, and ensuring a sustainable network were all measures taken by RPR to ensure a quick turnaround for the organization.

“We want to make sure everyone is doing all right. We have been reaching out to our staff consistently to make sure everything is going smoothly,” said Rogers.

An area that has significantly affected daily operations at RPR is the court closures. Matters scheduled for trial have been adjourned until further notice, backlogging an already backlogged system.

“The big question is going to be how will this be managed when they do open up. Everyone is curious about the handling of that situation,” he said.

Heavier caseloads for staff and clients without expeditious hearings are amongst Rogers’ predictions for the future. On a positive note, the modernization of business and the continued commitment to enhanced and improved service for clients have been opportunities that have presented themselves during the pandemic.

“We’re trying to keep it as normal as possible and to make sure that people’s legal needs are met – everyone understands about what’s going on,” he said. “One of the things we’ve seen is a bit of hesitation because clients are unsure of the economic fallout from this situation.”

The legal profession will not be foreseeably, adversely affected. It will continue to offer services to clients based on the needs that do arise out of this specific situation.

“We are in uncharted waters, but there is also an opportunity – in every issue is an opportunity in disguise. There are going to be many areas of law that could see increases and decreases. Still, regardless, we believe we are going to be as busy as we’ve always been,” said Rogers.

Employment law is one of those areas, and already, the firm has received an increased volume of calls from employers and employees just wondering where they stand in this world.

“There are always going to be economic peaks and valleys. There will be peaks and valleys in different areas of law, but there will always be law going on. The rules of operation will not necessarily be the same when this is over – we will have to wait and see what happens,” he said.

Either way, Rogers maintains the optimism and fortitude of the staff in his firm are essential to moving forward in a new era.

“We are more than fortunate to have the staff that we have. The ability of everyone to adapt has made our level of service even better than it was before.”

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