Reflections: Biz Leaders Look Back on Best, Worst Moments of 2020 — and What the Year Meant to Them
Henry Liu, managing partner of Troutman Pepper's Washington, D.C. offices, was quoted in the Washington Business Journal article, " Reflections: Biz Leaders Look Back on Best, Worst Moments of 2020 — and What the Year Meant to Them."
Best moment: My best moment of 2020 will be on Dec. 31, 2020! Not only will a difficult 2020 have ended, but we as a firm and office will have managed the most pressing challenges of Covid-19, with the added weight of effectuating a large law firm merger during the middle of the pandemic. Certainly 2021 will bring many of the same challenges, but at least we can take a breath, be proud of our accomplishments and begin down the path to normalcy.
Worst moment: The immediate days after the lockdowns in March. At that point, people still knew very little about Covid-19 compared to today, including ease of transmission, mortality, etc. Not only did we have to deal with the stress of keeping our firm’s practices running while working remotely, but everyone was dealing with personal challenges, such as keeping family members safe, child care and schooling, and even where to find toilet paper!
What's changed: Less time in the office. Not only has the pandemic brought about a new appreciation for family and time spent with loved ones, but most attorneys have learned how to operate remotely. It doesn’t mean that people will be working less — and in fact they may find themselves working more when subtracting things like commute times — but they will be able to do so remotely and perhaps only have to go into the office a few days a week.