COVID-19 is not only causing medical problems in the U.S., it's also stoking economic uncertainty and less consumer spending that's led to a bear market for investors.

The downturn arrives after a record-setting year for legal tech investments. Now, venture capitalists say to expect slower investments in legal tech as most investors are likely to become more cautious in the coming months. 

"I think in times like this when you see an equity crunch, people are more disciplined, regardless of the type of business. Whether legal tech or fintech, we are expecting to see that," said Mark Buffington, co-founder and managing partner of venture investment firm BIP Capital.

Buffington's company on March 11 announced that it invested $1.5 million in Case Status, a client relationship management and marketing software for law firms, during the cloud-based platform's second seed round.

Still, despite the natural reaction to become more conservative with investments during economic uncertainty, Buffington believes the overall trends for legal technology will eventually lead investors back to the industry.

Buffington pointed to the legal profession's late adoption of tech and its need for efficient workflows as market factors that should draw investors.

"I think those are the longer-term trends driving investments. Anyone serious about investing in the legal tech space will leverage opportunities like the COVID-19 virus as an opportunity to invest at decent prices," he noted.

Significant declines in individual markets aside, venture capitalists are also impacted by government-mandated self-isolation measures.

"VCs aren't on airplanes, we aren't meeting companies at the same level we used to," said San Francisco-based Touchdown Ventures principal Alex Nwaka. "I think in general that is going to cause challenges to get capital out of the deal, I think the activity will decrease because of the pandemic," but not necessarily deplete funding.

In turn, investors will be more discerning, Nwaka said. When looking at potential investments, investors will spend more time evaluating a company's "cash burn rate." Similarly, "cash runway" will be more top of mind for investors, which Nwaka described as the company's cash balance divided by the company's operational profit.

Despite closer inspection before providing funding, Nwaka didn't predict draconian days for all legal tech companies, noting that worthwhile startups would attract funding.

However, David Holme, CEO of legal outsourcing services provider Exigent and legal tech evergreen fund Bright Minds Capital Partners, stated that many in legal tech won't survive venture capital's higher expectations.

"The demands have gotten higher," Holme said. "I wouldn't say that for all … there are bright spots, but for the most part, I would say two-thirds of legal tech startups that have come to investors in the past two years are in for a very difficult time." 

Mismanaged companies and "zombie companies" injected with capital despite a slow adoption of technology by legal professionals won't fare well in a bear market, Holme explained.

To be sure, venture capitalists contacted by Legaltech News said that the COVID-19-caused economic downturn is unlike the Great Recession of 2008.

"Once this pandemic starts to subside and China is going back to work, you will see people resume normal activities," BIP Capital's Buffington said.