COVID-19 has made all of us reliant on videoconferencing tools for client connection, court activities, team work, networking, family visits and more. Some people enjoy the easy access to online meetings while others find them just a poor substitute for in-person interaction. Two dozen attorneys from this column's panel of solo practitioners and small to midsize firm lawyers responded to questions about how they use videoconferencing today, and will use it once the pandemic is behind us.

Currently the most common practice-related uses for videoconferences are client meetings and consultations, some only at the client's request. Amy Goldsmith, partner at Tarter Krinsky and Drogin and co-chair of the intellectual property practice, says, "Many clients prefer to use a web-conference platform that permits us to see each other rather than the phone or Facetime. It's more personal." Mark Seitelman, managing partner of Mark E. Seitelman Law Offices, P.C., a personal injury firm, uses videoconferences for "intake interviews with new clients" because "the ability to see each other presents a greater opportunity to bond with the client."