On December 1, 2021 the U.S. had its first case of COVID-19 ascribed to the omicron variant. Cases have surged with the omicron variants since then, and on May 9, 2022 the Biden Administration stated that it expects the U.S.…
It’s a Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Zoom World!
No doubt video improves the ability to communicate in the negotiation process whether in mediation or with direct negotiations. Video court proceedings have successfully emerged as a productive and efficient way of handling civil and even criminal court proceedings. And…
Risk Management: Mitigating Risk in the COVID-19 Era
For the last 12 months, most California attorneys have worked from home instead of an office. In addition to logistical challenges, working from home presents further risks of potential claims against attorneys. Below are three tips firms should consider to…
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: The Remote Paralegal
Nearly a year ago, March 17, 2020 to be exact, I started my remote working experience as a paralegal. The COVID-19 pandemic has not been easy for any of us. It has disrupted and affected our lives in profound ways. …
Pandemic Arbitration
I try jury trials. I also try arbitrations. Unfortunately, anyone expecting to talk to a jury this year is likely out of luck. Although a small number of social-distanced jury trials were attempted in 2020, for the most part they were…
Pandemic Forces Courts and Lawyers to Reimagine Proceedings
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo had pre-qualified over two hundred prospective jurors in anticipation of the court’s first in-person civil jury trial since the coronavirus pandemic. She used a tape measure to make sure all twelve jurors and…
Checking in with Nemo
This year, with all its challenges, has also given us an opportunity to pause and look back on the many people and stories from San Francisco Attorney magazine that have inspired and engaged. In 2017, Kathleen Guthrie Woods introduced us to Nemo,…
Airstreaming Live in 2020
This year, with all its challenges, has also given us an opportunity to pause and look back on the many people and stories from San Francisco Attorney magazine that have inspired and engaged. Jennifer Smythe and Gary Dubrovsky, a married couple who…
San Francisco: Two Pandemics, One Hundred Years Apart
For my last column for San Francisco Attorney, I wanted to explore how the 1918 flu pandemic—the last global respiratory pandemic to reach San Francisco—affected our bar association and compare that to COVID-19, more than a hundred years later. Established in…
Working From Home During the Pandemic: Top Tips and Considerations from a Solo and Small Firm Attorney
In March 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a statewide shelter-in-place order in California. On March 25, 2020, I, alongside Diane Camacho of DLS Consulting Services and Brittny Bottorff of the Law Office of Brittny Bottorff, presented a panel entitled “Change…
2020: A Time for Change and Action
I remember being very excited for 2020. The even numbers. The symmetry. The start of a new decade. I had made New Year’s resolutions – basically the same as the ones last year, but this year I promised myself I…
How Will SCOTUS Handle Future Issues Related to the COVID-19 Crisis?
The COVID-19 pandemic, not surprisingly, has led to a great deal of litigation throughout the country, especially as there have been challenges to the shelter-in-place and shutdown orders. Overwhelmingly, federal and state courts have ruled in favor of the government…