Washington Lawyer - November/December 2022 - 27

FEATURE
and picked dinosaur-shaped leftover chicken nuggets off a plastic plate
as you rinsed it in the already full sink, or worse, you chowed down on
something cold, gray, and mushy while staring at a draft on one monitor
and exhibits on another. Then, you did the same thing for dinner, slowly
realizing how much energy you draw from the companionship at those
midday meals.
6
Two days grouped together after Friday are called a " weekend. "
Traditionally, this time period was distinguished from what
was known as a " work week. " Society did things like go to
the movies, go out to dinner, hike, grocery shop, attend sporting events,
and gather.
This leads us to...
5
We took
things for
granted.
Toilet paper. Fresh
produce. Meat.
Cleaning supplies.
Hearing your favorite
song randomly play
on the radio is different
from listening to it on
your iPhone. Being
stuck in traffic seems
bearable when that
song you haven't heard
in years suddenly starts
playing in the car and
you smile, realizing that
you remember all the
words even though
you hadn't sung it
since prom.
You don't really believe that someone is OK following an extended
period of silence, a disagreement, or an illness until you touch or see
them. We didn't understand just how much strength we draw from
family and friends and loved ones until we experienced personal challenges
and tragedy and couldn't hug, hold or be held, or cry in someone's
arms. We couldn't look them in the eyes and say, " I'm sorry, " " I love
you, " " I forgive you. "
We didn't understand just how exponentially better good news is when
it is punctuated by a hug, a high five, a pat on the back, or dinner at our
favorite restaurant. The bad days were worse because of the things we
took for granted, and the good things were not even better because of
the things we took for granted.
Now that we can meet face to face again, this is the time to define or
redefine your career. Be a guest speaker at a local high school on Career
Day to help change the perception of the legal profession that young
students developed from only watching television. Be a guest speaker
at a local law school to give law students a broader perspective beyond
reading casebooks. Judge a moot court or mock trial competition because
listening to aspiring law students argue cases is so inspiring it will
make you appreciate your career.
In a courtroom, you can see who is " in the room " and the family pet is
not crawling all over the table. Amazon, Uber Eats, and Peapod don't
show up during on-site proceedings.
Live people don't pixelate and their voices don't break up because half of
the world is shopping online, learning remotely, and binging Netflix
while you are trying to use the internet to participate in a proceeding.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
* WASHINGTON LAWYER 27
Get back out there and remind yourself of the things we took for
granted.
4
Good things still happened. No one can deny that the
pandemic has been devastating, but good things did still
happen.
Your work family welcomed babies. For some of them, you never saw
the pregnancy. For others, you saw their little ones start to crawl or take
their first steps.
Our kids graduated from high school and started college. Some of them
became engaged; some of them married; some of them did both.
Many of you interviewed and made a dream come true when you were
hired, trained, and then conducted your first meeting or attended your
first official proceeding.
We met neighbors we didn't know before the pandemic because we
checked in on one another. We took some of those loaves of sourdough
to them and let them know that if they needed help getting groceries or
just wanted someone to talk to, we were there.
We adapted. Camping for Memorial Day still meant sleeping in tents and
roasting s'mores, even if it was in the backyard. Ghosts, vampires, superheroes,
and princes and princesses still trick-or-treated, grabbing candy
we dropped down a PVC pipe. Uncle Norm still told his dad jokes at
Thanksgiving, but he did it virtually through a tablet.
3
It is much easier to participate in an in-person proceeding.
Remote hearings are not new. The Social Security Administration
and other agencies have held telephone, video, and
hybrid hearings for years, but remote hearings were usually conducted
by a judge from the bench in an on-site hearing room. During the
pandemic, telephone and video hearings were conducted from the
homes of judges, attorneys, clients, and witnesses.
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2022

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