Facing a Long Winter Ahead Together: Tackling Challenges as Young Lawyers in COVID-19

  • December 02, 2020
  • Susana May Yon Lee, chair, OBA Young Lawyers Division East, and International trade lawyer, Cassidy Levy Kent (Canada) LLP

I sit in front of my computer, drinking my morning coffee with a baby in one arm, as I scroll through the depressing reports of increased COVID-19 cases and related deaths, and the announcement of new lockdown measures to stem the tides of the disease. There appears to be a slight hint of a rainbow at the end of the road though – vaccines are coming – probably in the Spring of 2021, or even in January. There’s real hope that everything will return to “normal” by the summer of 2021. But, as the baby starts to fuss in my arms, and I know that I have a long day (actually, weeks and months…) of lawyering and parenting ahead of me, I take a deep breath and brace myself as I go wake up my older child to start the day. As challenging as it will be, I know that we will get through this long winter together!

My main challenge during COVID-19 has been juggling the responsibilities of parenthood while continuing to deliver top quality and timely legal work for our clients. While there are many young lawyers in the same position as me, many others are currently facing a plethora of other challenges during COVID-19. These challenges include, but are certainly in no way, limited to the following: