How we have adapted throughout COVID-19

During the coronavirus pandemic, Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice has remained fully operational, ensuring we continue to provide a high quality service to our clients, and to make sure their needs are met during this difficult time. To remain fully operational, we have introduced a number of changes and remote working capabilities that allow us to work safely and effectively.

VIRTUAL APPOINTMENTS

We are still offering appointments which can be carried out over the phone or via a video call. We have also implemented the latest Adobe software, allowing us to e-sign documents and file electronic versions of documents and bundles that the courts now need as far as remote working is concerned. Court hearings are often being carried out remotely, whether that be by telephone or on a video platform, and by putting in place the right technology, this has meant we have been able to continue to deal with these appointments seamlessly for our clients.

REMOTE WORKING

All of our staff are set up to work from home, allowing us to provide the same high level of service to our clients. We felt it was important to make sure that our staff were able to have quick and effective ways to communicate with one another and to stay connected, even though we are not all physically in the same building at the moment. Of course they are able to use the traditional methods of email and telephone conversations, but we have introduced a WhatsApp group for company-wide communication through instant messaging, and this has been really helpful to make sure we are all in touch and working as effectively as possible. Meetings can carry on as usual thanks to virtual meetings via Zoom and FaceTime.

It has also been good to be able to use these virtual platforms to keep in touch as a team and to use socially, and we have been able to have events such as a team quiz, which was great fun.

OUR OFFICES

For the time being our reception will remain closed. The safety of our staff and clients is paramount. Although we are working remotely for the vast majority, from time to time we may need to go to the office to collect documents. We strictly stick to the two-metre social distancing rule at all times, and we also ensure there is a limit of only a very small number of people in the office at any given time. We have installed contactless hand sanitiser stations in the office and issued personal hand sanitisers to all members of staff.

PROVIDING INFORMATION AND REASSURANCE

The coronavirus pandemic has put additional pressure on both businesses and individuals, and we will always strive to help our clients and those who may need information wherever possible. We have put together a series of blogs on some of the issues that have been raised with us most frequently as to the impact of coronavirus on different areas of family law, and these can be accessed below:

The Impact of Coronavirus on Child Arrangements Orders
The Impact of Coronavirus on Spousal Maintenance Orders
The Impact of Coronavirus on Domestic Abuse
The Impact of Coronavirus on Divorce Finances

CHARITIES

We are mindful that charities have been hit particularly hard by Covid-19, and very much still need to raise funds for the crucial work they carry out. Our charity of the year is Cerebral Palsy Cymru (formally Bobath), and as we are unable to carry out our typical fundraising events at the moment, we have decided to do something different. As a firm, we will be collectively walking/cycling/running the distance from Cardiff to the European Court of Justice (511 miles) under social distancing rules. We interact and share our progress through fitness application Strava, and not only do we think this is a great way to raise funds for the charity, it is also something which has been really enjoyable for us to do as a team even though we are not able to be physically together. See more information here: https://wendyhopkins.co.uk/insight/european-court-of-justice-challenge-for-cerebral-palsy-cymru/