Page 75 - FDCC Pandemic Book

Living in a Pandemic: A Collection of Stories on Coping, Resilience & Hope
Zoom meetings, virtual happy hours, frequent phone calls and other ways to keep us connected; particularly as the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. Sometimes the days felt like years, but yet time stood still and every day started to feel like Groundhog’s Day.
On the home front, challenges continued to confront me. My husband had emergency surgery four years ago and as luck would have it on March 31, 2020 at the almost height of the pandemic in New Jersey, I had to drop my husband off at the local hospital emergency room with serious symptoms. Due to COVID-19 protocols, Icouldnotenterthehospital. SoIsenthimoffwithacellphone,achargerandhis insurance card and prayed. It was a rough two days until the surgeon concluded that non-surgical interventions were not working and he needed surgery. All non- essential surgeries in the state had been cancelled due to COVID-19. All the while the work did not stop, the client needs accelerated and I had to make sure my 8th grader and now home from college junior were focused on their schooling and not worried about their father. Luckily, my husband’s surgery was a success. I picked him up at the hospital several days later like I was driving through a McDonald’s drive-thru. He mended at home and then lost his job less than two months later.
As guidance was developed rapidly, I put together some significant thought leadership with others and conducted many webinars in rapid speed to help clients and others navigate the ever changing and complex COVID-19 legal issues. I continued focusing on helping others, being a support to my colleagues and doing my best to lead by example. It was a difficult time for everyone and although I carried my own personal grief, I had to set that aside and stay focused.
Since I have a Type A personality like many lawyers, the most difficult part of the pandemic for me was the beginning, as things seemed to be spiraling out of control. I dug deeper and became more disciplined. As the weather improved, being outside lifted my spirits. I learned to be kind to myself as best I could and do little things to keep the motivation level high.
In late summer, I was nominated by my fellow equity partners and unanimously elected to our firm’s management committee. It was humbling to say the least. I was told that my leadership and hard work during the pandemic did not go unnoticed. A part of me wondered how I would be able to successfully balance a significant commitment to the firm, in addition to my client and family commitments and obligations to other organizations in which I am involved.
However, being asked to lead, especially during such a critical time for any company, was not something that I could turn down. Even more importantly, I was the first woman in the firm’s history elected to its management committee, which meant the role went even beyond me, and had heightened meaning, especially for the women at the firm. The notes and calls I received from both inside and outside of the firm
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