The Evolution Of "Hybrid": Post-COVID Collaborative Working

At the end of the 20th century, the term "hybrid" was most often associated with part electric powered / part gas powered vehicles. In the COVID era, however, "hybrid" became a term used to describe working part time at home and part time in a conventional workplace environment. In the post-COVID era and with the emergence of ever-evolving technology including generative artificial intelligence (AI), "hybrid" is becoming associated with a digital, collaborative work environment where law firms and clients engage with one another in the provision of legal and professional services.

Historically, law firms and clients interacted with each other in-person and then by telephone conversations. With the advent of digital communications and the widespread corporate adoption of email in the 1990s, in-person and even telephone engagements waned as email became the predominate means for communication and document exchange between law firms and clients.