Keep Remote Work Moving

  • 31 janvier 2022
  • Tiana Knight

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, for some, working from home seemed like a gentle reprieve from the hustle and bustle of busy legal practices, work and client meetings, and legal events. It was also a pivotal shift in the “world of work.” With physical offices and workplaces temporarily closed, how were workplaces and staff supposed to adapt to this new work culture while maintaining workplace community, staff morale and wellbeing? How would court dates, mediations and arbitrations continue? What would advocacy look like in the midst of a pandemic? Was job satisfaction at risk with this inevitable shift in the ways that lawyers and clients interact and communicate? 

Nearly two years into the pandemic, at a time when many thought hybrid work was the way of the future, many lawyers and other legal professionals continue to work (predominantly) from home. However, working from home is more than just a 9-to-5 workday in the comfort of one’s home workspace. The realities of working from home and the blurred line separating the two have resulted in burnout for a lot of legal professionals, especially recent calls to the bar who have had to transition to a fulsome legal practice without experiencing crucial milestones (i.e., convocation, call ceremony, in-person orientations, networking events, trainings, etc.).

As the legal profession continues to grapple with the ever-changing circumstances of the pandemic, I hope to provide law students, articling students, and young lawyers some tips and tricks to make their day-to-day Work from Home (WFH) a bit more manageable.