Ten Things I LOVE About Zoom … a Rebuttal

BY NANCY CHAUSOW-SHAFER

1. Savings of time – The most expensive and rare thing we have is time. Once spent, we can never get it back. Zoom allows us to avoid travel time to various court dates and meetings, returning that time to the ‘bank’ to be spent doing things we love rather than spending time in transit. 2. Savings of money – Not only do I not have to spend time traveling back and forth to meetings and court dates, but I am saving on the expenses of getting there and back. My gas and other car expenses have been reduced significantly, even driving a hybrid vehicle. In 2020 and 2021, I only filled my gas tank 4 or 5 times total. Also, I had no auto repair and maintenance expenses in the last 2 years. 3. Reduction of client costs – In the interests of “Access to Justice,” having court and bar meetings remotely eliminates costs to the client in terms of both time and expenses (such as parking). An in-person court appearance for status downtown at the Daley Center may require an hour of travel time each way, parking fees, time spent in the courtroom waiting for my client’s case to be called, all for only 5 minutes in front of the judge. On Zoom, I can login and have my 5 minutes with the Court and only spend and charge that amount of time to the client. 4. No (or less?) wasted time -

While waiting for my Zoom court appearance, I can work on other matters at my ‘desk’ in another window on my screen. I can check emails, return phone calls, review, and edit documents, while waiting patiently for my turn. On most days, it doesn’t really matter to me how long it takes the judge to get to my case. Since I am forced to wait, I may as well get work done while I sit there. This has been great for my productivity. 5. Reduction of business clothing expenses – In the ‘before time,’ one daily struggle was what to wear to court. I had several suits, and if I was on trial, I needed to carefully consider the wardrobe choices ahead of time so I was not caught short and have to repeat the same outfit. Horrors). Now with Zoom, no one is Nancy Chausow Shafer is a focusing on my wardrobe, and I only have to look professional in the Zoom principal in the window (usually only chest up). Good Highland Park thing, as the ”COVID 19 lbs” is a real IL firm, Sage Counsel, LLC, concentrating in Matrimonial Law, thing, and pants with buttons, snaps and zippers have been relegated to the charity donation box. including Litiga- 6. Savings on shoes and boots tion, Mediation – since we started with Zoom court inand Collaboration. A focus of her energies is to increase the education of professionals and the public on options for the divorce process and stead of in-person, I barely wear shoes at all, and if I am not going outside, I don’t need boots and trudging through wise (sage) financial decisions. the snow or sliding on ice. Shoes are unnecessary for a Zoom appearance,