Questions about when litigation activity will resume and when expenses will pick up have caused critical planning and budgeting challenges for 2021, amid the continuing uncertainties of the pandemic.

Leaders of three midsize Atlanta firms—Drew Eckl & Farnham, Arnall Golden Gregory and Swift Currie McGhee & Hiers—forecast a steady return to normal, with increases in work—including an uptick in litigation after last year's court closures. They also forecast a rise in travel and marketing expenses later in the year as the pandemic hopefully abates and in-person meetings return.