Law firms in the island faced ’tough times’ as vital parts of their business ’dropped off a cliff’ because of the coronavirus pandemic.

That’s the message from the Law Society which has around 280 members and represents more than 40 law companies.

But it has emerged that during the lockdown legal eagles faced a surge in demand in one particular area, from older and vulnerable people wanting to ensure their wills and last wishes were in order.

And there are now indications that business is beginning to pick up again particularly for lawyers involved in representing people involved in criminal cases.

Law experts involved in property conveyancing work are also seeing an increase in business across the island.

Juan Moore, chief executive of the Law Society, spoke to Business News shortly after the organisation’s new headquarters in Mount Havelock, Douglas, were officially opened by the Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney.

Mr Moore told Business News: ’This year it has been very tough for the law firms, there is no doubt about it.

’Lockdown happened very quickly and we had been gearing up for something happening and most firms were working from home within a very short space of time.’

He said it was ’very tough’ for member firms and he knew of law firm partners who had ’either took reduced earnings or stopped taking any earnings at all’.

There were also cases of some support staff in law companies who had ’unfortunately’ been made redundant, he said.

He revealed one of the early difficulties concerned working on wills because advocates were at first uncertain whether the emergency laws allowed them to go and visit people in their homes, as initially they were not defined as key workers.

This was later ironed out and advocates were allowed to visit people in their homes.

Mr Moore confirmed there had been an increase in people sorting out their wills.

He said ’with all the fear around about coronavirus it was clear people wanted their wills to be in order’.

It concerned particularly vulnerable residents and older people.

Mr Moore said he was called upon to help one advocate by witnessing a will signing in someone’s house while wearing a mask.

Mr Moore said that originally the law sector was not included in the government’s financial help measures and he had worked closely with the Finance Agency on this issue.

He said: ’I explained that the work of the duty advocates in particular, had dropped off a cliff’. This had also included lawyers involved in property work during lockdown.

Mr Moore said help was eventually arranged.

He was in constant touch with, and had a good relationship with, the cabinet office, the Department of Home Affairs and the courts over the emergency regulations and this had been ’crucial’ because he was then able to provide daily updates for the members. Mr Moore said the work done by duty advocates ’dropped dramatically because everyone was in lockdown and there was very little crime’.

But there had been challenges facing those lawyers who had to go to the police station to interview defendants during the lockdown.

Business News asked Mr Moore if things had improved for members since the end of lockdown in the island.

As an example he pointed to property work and said that sector had ‘really taken off. Property conveyancers have been very busy. That has been one major relief. The property market started to pick up after the lockdown ended’.

Work for duty advocates in the courts had also picked up as more court cases were now being heard.

Mr Moore said he knew of advocates who worked pro-bono (without payment) on behalf of some people being repatriated to the island during lockdown.