Client contact has been ‘paramount’ for us in the Private Client Department during these testing times. With these unprecedented and enforced changes, it has been so important to keep in contact with Clients to ensure not just the turnover of files, but well-being also. Hearing about how Clients have had to make both big and small changes, both professionally and personally has been interesting and a relief to know that it has been mirrored in our own circumstances somewhat.
Meetings via video link (Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc) have become the new norm and have made seeing Clients much more accessible. Clients have reported increased work in some areas, in particular the volume of Will work, with novel ways of signing documents, including upturned recycling boxes, lids of wheelie bins and even wallpaper pasting tables!
Unfortunately, some Clients have been unable to go out and visit their Court of Protection Clients during lockdown, but again, video calls have come into their own and have also reduced time as well as challenges for such things as financial beauty parades and multi-disciplinary team meetings.
Getting files to us to deal with was one concern at the start of lockdown, however, we overcame this very quickly and we have been able to receive files in a variety of ways from pretty much day 1 of lockdown. We have also provided extra services, such as the uploading of Court of Protection Bills and associated documents via CE-filing and dealing with obtaining the final costs certificates, which some Clients have found invaluable, especially where they have lost support staff to assist them.
More changes are coming now with the easing of lockdown, but we here at Paramount will be ready for them and will deal with them quickly and appropriately, just as we have been doing throughout these testing times.
Christine Marsh, Private Client Director
Direct Dial: 01228 815391
Email: [email protected]