4 minute read
Shaking It Up: Perspectives of Attorneys Working from Home
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all industries; restaurants are only serving patrons outside, retail stores are moving to a predominately online system and small businesses are finding new ways to reach their customers. Private and public companies have shifted to working from home, with all of the trials, tribulations and flexibility that working from home introduces. Many employees, now, are dealing with a much different work schedule than the one they had gotten used to back in February.
Some exclusively work from home, on the standard 9 – 5 shift. Others have an adjusted schedule, having to juggle children who are getting schooling exclusively online this year. Some go into the office every so often, with the bulk of their work being from home. And some still are going to the office every day, on a normal schedule (albeit while wearing a face mask). For attorneys who are used to face-toface meetings with clients, colleagues and judges, it can be hard to get used to meeting digitally. Coffee hours, late-night strategy sections, work parties and networking events are all happening in a form that many attorneys are unused to. As a profession, the mental shift toward conducting business through applications like Zoom or Skype, or simply over email, has caused stress for some, while being an easy change for others.
Everyone has been dealing with the impact of this pandemic differently; outside commitments, workload, technology and personal comfort all vary, so no one view will be the same. To gauge how younger attorneys have been coping with the changes, we reached out to our Young Lawyers committee and asked them to share their own perspectives on dealing with the pandemic.
“I was supposed to get married March 21, 2020… but the craziness hit the weekend before. Fortunately, my best friend is also a pastor, so after I packed up my downtown office on March 16, 2020, he married us in a private ceremony with just the three of us in
Highbanks Metro Park. It was definitely interesting navigating working from home and being a newlywed. I used a spare bedroom as an office and my wife used the kitchen table to do remote teaching.
“I was in the middle of depositions in a business litigation case that we moved to Zoom, so I kept pretty busy. When I wasn’t in depositions or other hearings, I enjoyed taking an extended lunch with my wife. I’m thankful for the technology that allowed us both to continue working. Technology also helped me keep my morning workout routine as I would walk around the neighborhood talking to my gym partner on the phone or FaceTime. As the months went by, working from home got really old, though, as I missed that ability to separate my home from my work. And now, as my wife returns to teach in person, I have gone back to the office about twice a week, so we’re figuring to a new, new, new normal.”
“I started with my firm the last week of January, taking over the criminal law practice. Not only was I starting at a new firm but I was switching from civil to criminal law, and from practicing in Washington to practicing in Ohio. Then bam, here comes covid lockdown. I have been stressed and pushed well beyond my comfort zone to learn things basically on my own. I feel like a solo practitioner working on my couch. I feel the experience has been at times dreadful but I have learned to adapt and it has forced me to grow and become more confident in my abilities and skills.”
Mazen H. Rasoul, Esq. Rasoul Law Office, LLC rasoul.esq@gmail.com
“Being an Immigration Solo Practitioner the past four years has been more like riding a roller coaster. Keeping up with all the Presidential Proclamations, Department of Homeland Security changes, US Attorney General Decisions, Court Injunctions, and other changes has been extremely challenging. With COVID-19, things became even more difficult. While trying to adjust to working from home and avoiding in person meetings with clients, we also had to keep up with even more legal and procedural changes. Immigration Courts announced updates on hearings and court closures through a twitter account on a day to day, then weekly, basis.”
“I am thankful for the friends and colleagues who came together through the CBA, AILA, and Facebook groups, to help keep each other informed and updated on all the changes happening around us. These groups were the main factor that helped me adjust and take care of my clients and caseload. There is nothing more important than being a member of strong associations and working alongside with amazing colleagues.”
Todd Fichtenberg, Esq.
Allison L. Harrison Law, LLC todd@alharrisonlaw.com
Breezy M. Warner, Esq.
Amy M. Levine, Attorney at Law LLC breezym.warner@gmail.com
Mazen H. Rasoul, Esq.
Rasoul Law Office, LLC rasoul.esq@gmail.com
