Crazy is forever pushing the boundaries
Since Grungo Colarulo opened its metaverse office in December of last year, they haven’t yet had a client walk up to them for a “cold-call.” However, Grungo added that two creators were “checking out” their firm earlier this week in the form of an ape and a robot.
Metaverse Law Offices Offer Potential New Frontier for Client Anonymity, Privacy While the anonymity of the meteaverse may not be long-lasting, attorneys see it as an innovative way for client recruitment.
March 18, 2022 at 08:30 AM
3 minute read
Law Firm Client Relationships
Isha Marathe  Legal Tech Reporter
The original version of this story was published on Legaltech News
As law firms begin setting up offices in the metaverse, a surprising benefit is emerging for attorneys dealing with sensitive cases where a client might want some anonymity, at least in the initial stages of approaching an attorney.
The ability for a user to walk up to a metaverse law office as an avatar offers an opportunity to gauge if an attorney is right for them before committing—or revealing information that may be emotionally distressing or traumatizing—opening up a new frontier for client retention.
Trial attorney Richard Grungo of New Jersey-based Grungo Colarulo, one of the first personal injury firms to open an office in Decentraland, noted he is especially looking forward to this facet of the metaverse for the types of cases he sees on a regular basis.
“Let’s talk about anonymity. We deal with a lot of catastrophic cases where family members struggle to talk about abuse from the past, where employees are afraid to discuss injury because they don’t want their employer to know, maybe a disability someone doesn’t want to show—there is an opportunity here for clients to talk a little more freely behind an avatar.”
Unfortunately, the firm’s more common cases include adolescents or children who are reporting incidents of sexual abuse against a family member or someone from their past. Grungo explained that building a case with a child who has been traumatized or even preparing them for the court is often an arduous process.
“I think of the different areas [the metaverse] can make a difference,” Grungo said, “in the area of child abuse, the child needs to describe what happened in front of people, to talk about who did what. The ability to at least initially do that as an avatar might make them feel safer, it could minimize the suffering just a little in this difficult process.”
Since Grungo Colarulo opened its metaverse office in December of last year, they haven’t yet had a client walk up to them for a “cold-call.” However, Grungo added that two creators were “checking out” their firm earlier this week in the form of an ape and a robot.
“We haven’t gotten there with respect to a client walking in, but yet there is increased activity,” he said. “It really comes down to the fact that we are creating a vehicle for someone to get help and to meet new clients.”
The issues around identity and privacy are certainly not confined to legal, or to the metaverse. Perkins Coie attorney Charlyn Ho points out that the metaverse may allow more comfort to clients who are worried about how they present themselves due to racial or gender-related issues such as litigation around transgender bathrooms.
“In the metaverse, does your identity have to be connected to your physical self?” Ho said. “Through an avatar who doesn’t look like you racially or ethnically, you might have more freedom to discuss sensitive issues or ideas you have, but without the social connotations behind saying why [you have them].”
Of course, it is difficult for an attorney to properly represent a client without knowing who they truly are physically and intellectually, Ho pointed out. So while the metaverse may offer certain benefits to client privacy, they will likely be limited to initial consultations. |
