In my lifetime, nothing has had a more universal and substantial impact on humanity than the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, the pandemic’s challenges have included relocating work and school to the home, quarantining, and social distancing, while others have faced health issues and devastating personal tragedies. Common among all of us, however, is the upheaval the pandemic has caused and how much it has changed our lives, personally and professionally.

I joined my firm just a few months before the pandemic lockdown when we were forced to transition to a completely remote work environment. I was the newest and youngest attorney at the firm, still getting to know my new colleagues, learning the firm culture and the practice of law. I felt unsure about how to work from home effectively without a home office. All in-court appearances and in-person events went completely virtual (Zoom fatigue, anyone?) and I was worried that the lack of face time with my colleagues would make it more difficult to establish relationships with my team. Without the daily face-to-face interaction, I wondered how much mentorship I would receive, when I had just started getting comfortable popping into the partners’ offices to ask a question and  other associates’ offices to bounce ideas about a case. Like many of us, overnight, I went from going to the office every day to being at home 24/7 with no distinction between my home and my job.