Finding the Bright Spots

AYLA PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

BY DAVID KING, GRAVES DOUGHERTY HEARON & MOODY

In August, AYLA’s board of directors held its first (and perhaps last) completely virtual board retreat. Was it the same as an in-person board retreat? No. Was it as fun? I guess that depends on how much one can tolerate three hours of Zoom, but I will venture to guess most on our board would say no. But did we make it work? I sure think so. Thanks to substantial and creative use of breakout rooms (shout-out to our executive director, Debbie Kelly, for ably handling the virtual shuffling), we came out of our retreat with a plan for the year. We also came out with a variety of new, interesting programming ideas for the post-COVID world.

Those new programming ideas will, I hope, be the subject matter of a future column; that will depend on execution, which is the hardest part, of course. But one thing is for sure. If I had been asked in February if I thought AYLA could thrive—or even function—without in-person events, like our board retreat, I would have been skeptical. My skepticism is fading, along with many of my other pre-pandemic conceptions of what we are capable of accomplishing and through what means.

In last month’s column, I mentioned that one positive thing to come out of the pandemic has been an eagerness to find

outlets for civic activism. In this month’s column, I’m taking it a step further. Without further ado, here are my top three bright spots of the 2020 pandemic:

1. Law Practice at Home

In February, I would have been the last person to think a law firm could stay in business without a physical office. We’re lawyers, after all! According to the old adage attributed to Justice Joseph Story, the law is a jealous lover, right? We need our offices so we can become completely immersed in our practice without distraction! Well, it turns out I was wrong. The jealous lover can reside right in the comfort of our own homes (which may mean it’s not a lover anymore, but I’ll just stop with that problematic metaphor now). To be sure, I miss working in an office with my law partners, but the tradeoff is worth recognizing: Now, instead of having lunch with my colleagues, I can have lunch with my family. That’s something I will miss if and when we head back to the office in 2021.

2. Questioning Norms

The previous example is part of what I think is a larger pattern of thought happening across business and society. When dramatic change is forced upon us (as the pandemic has certainly done), we inevitably find out that some, and perhaps many, of our fears associated with that change were not justified. For example, we now know that having lawyers work virtually does not spell the end of law practice. So, what other misconceptions are we operating under? What other ways can we fundamentally change the

way we live and work, without any of the dire consequences that we assume would follow? As we struggle to adapt to the change forced upon us, I expect this upheaval will also open the door to other important changes which are deliberate, rather than forced.

As we struggle to adapt to the change forced upon us, I expect this upheaval will also open the door to other important changes which are deliberate, rather than forced.

3. Deeper Personal Contact

Yes, even though the pandemic has taken away so much in terms of social interaction, I believe it has also increased our appreciation of and even our contact with those we love. Deprived of our daily social interaction, and without the easy option of hopping on a plane to visit loved ones and friends, I expect, like me, others have spent a lot more time on the phone connecting with those loved ones and friends. In the words of Joni Mitchell, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” Maybe when we get back to “normal,” we’ll be able to hold on to some of that appreciation we’ve gained for those we miss.

All of that said, there is nothing good about COVID-19. The loss of life and economic disruption is heartbreaking. And yet, in this time of hardship, it’s important—at least it is for me—to take stock of the things that are not as bad as they could be, and the things that are better than we thought they would be. Let’s hope, as we work through 2020, the bright spots become clearer and brighter. AL

David King, with Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody, serves as 2020-2021 AYLA President.