Page 21 - Delaware Lawyer - Fall 2020

because that was when I was supposed to give birth. Everything had to go back to normal.
The moment I realized the practice of law had really changed was attend- ing a District Court remote mediation. I was skeptical. How could this be productive? How were we going to communicate our position effectively on the phone? Once again, I was wrong and the court was right. The media- tion was productive and ran smoothly. It was clear before the mediation that the case was likely not going to settle that day. Instead of having out-of-state counsel travel and everyone spend an entire day traveling and attending mediation, only a half-day was expend- ed. Perhaps remote practice could be more efficient.
The moment I truly realized that the practice of law and my new
Montessori teacher role were in- compatible at the home/office did not happen until four months into the pandemic. While trying to field an important call from out-of-state co-counsel during “school time,” I learned that potty training and prac- ticing law were not going to work. I will spare the details but, thankfully, co-counsel was understanding and had a child the same age. It was clear. I needed childcare at the home/office in order to practice efficiently. Being pregnant, childcare was not an option, so we brought in someone much more qualified in early childhood education than my husband and I and we have not looked back. Overnight my home/ office practice got much more man- ageable. Why had I waited so long? Because, like many parents, I thought I could do it all and did not want to
admit that I should or could not.
In addition to the pandemic teach- ing me about the importance of adaptability, it has also solidified the importance of relationships. In order to adapt to be the best attorney and momIcouldbe,Ihadtorelyonmy entire network of relationships during the pandemic. This included relying on: law partners who did an incredible job of moving a business to remote operations in a matter of days; the courts to stay open; clients to be flex- ible; doctors to allow remote prenatal care; my husband to pick up the slack at home when I could not; and family and friends checking in to make sure I was okay during lockdown. This expe- rience has taught us all to be grateful for relationships that gave us the abil- ity to adapt to our new practice and
personal lives.
Contact Thomas Harvey today for a tour.
etharvey@harveyhanna.com
AVAILABLE
Creekwood Corporate Center
910 Basin Road, New Castle, Delaware 19720
• 7,870 S.F. of Class A office space • 12 executive offices
• 1 executive board room
• Spacious open floor plan
• 5 parking spaces per 1,000 S.F.
• Located at the Route 141/I-95 Interchange
harveyhanna.com (302) 323-9300 405 E. Marsh Lane, Suite 1, Newport, DE 19804
FALL 2020 DELAWARE LAWYER 19