In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, law firms have wasted little time deploying tech solutions geared toward providing clients with real-time information around the spread of the virus and various state and federal containment mandates. But with similar information widely available through the media or even government channels, are those efforts worth a law firm's investment as either a client service or marketing initiative?

To be sure, there are definitely some practical benefits to be gained by firms using technology to parse the deluge of COVID-19-related information. Crowell & Moring, for instance, repurposed a client-facing, cloud-based knowledge management platform to help its own attorneys.

Teams tracking COVID-19 response efforts inside each of the 50 states funnel a constant stream of updates into the tool—new shelter-in-place orders or business shutdowns, for instance— which can then be leveraged by the firm's various practice areas as they advise clients directly on handling the virus.

While attorneys could seek out every individual newscast, tweet or other primary source of information on their own, doing so would be time-consuming and potentially detract from client service.

"It allows us to give attorneys the ability to access information quickly and efficiently so that they can do the really important stuff that our clients are really seeking from us, which is that next-level counseling," said Kay Kim, senior director of practice innovation at Crowell & Moring.

Other firms are positioning COVID-19-related tools directly toward clients and the general public at large. In late March, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld launched an interactive map that provides users with information on business closures and stay-at-home orders on a state, county and local level.

The tool is part of the firm's broader COVID-19 Resource Center, which is updated regularly with legal insights and analysis. While clients may be able to find information on business closures or stay-at-home orders from the media or other sources, Josh Teitelbaum, senior counsel in Akin Gump's public law and policy practice, thinks the nuance and analysis a lawyer can provide makes a difference.

"I think clients look to their lawyers for a greater precision and accuracy and nuance than perhaps they might from the popular media. Which isn't to say that a lot about what you would find about these orders is inaccurate, but it may not be the whole picture," Teitelbaum said.

But making COVID-19 tools available to the public isn't just about trying to flood the market with sound legal analysis.

Brett Burney of Burney Consultants thinks there is heavy marketing component involved as firms look to navigate a world that is increasingly dominated by developments around the virus. "I see it as a way for firms to continue to stay relevant right now. Everybody is nervous. Everybody is anxious about exactly what is going to happen," Burney said.

Still, there may be some question around whether web portals and tracking tools are the most effective delivery method. Burney would like to see more firms deploying video to provide a more intimate repository of COVID-19-related information than a blog or web portal.

Queries such as "how am I going to pay my credit card bill" could provide the backbone of an entire short video, with an attorney speaking directly into camera. "Record yourself answering those questions right now and put it out there, because those are the questions that everybody is asking right now," Burney said.

And the delivery method firms choose for their COVID-19 response matters. While nobody may fault law firms for wanting to stay relevant during a crisis, that doesn't mean that people will tolerate an obvious headline grab. Zach Abramowitz, a consultant in the legal technology space, said law firms should try to be intentionally empathetic about the legitimate problems clients are now facing before launching any COVID-19 initiatives.

"I think when you're following a different equation of how can we use COVID-19 as either a marketing opportunity straight up or a product opportunity, I think people see through that pretty quickly," Abramowitz said.