Two weeks after the New York state court system moved to an essential-functions-only mode, lawyers in all areas are still adjusting to the change and trying to determine how the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will affect their firms. In family law, most filings have stopped, though lawyers can still seek emergency applications for clients facing domestic violence or a short list of other issues.

Martha Cohen Stine, who practices family law as a founding partner of Cohen Rabin Stine Schumann and co-chairs the New York County Lawyers Association matrimonial law section, said she’s found herself in a “first responder” role for clients, counseling them through the upheaval of the pandemic while also continuing to provide legal advice.