Page 82 - FDCC Pandemic Book

Living in a Pandemic: A Collection of Stories on Coping, Resilience & Hope
alert—even the best plans cannot account for every eventuality). Our planning began several years ago, when the firm’s then managing partner expressed her desire to step back after having managed Hurwitz & Fine for more than 10 years. The firm’s leadership team—which I had been a part of—had many discussions about what the future might look like. We eventually formed a transition committee, chose a candidate, created a timeline, worked on the rollout, and finalized the transition plan. In February (prior to the pandemic and two months before the official transition date), we successfully launched internal, client, and media messaging, were making final preparations for a launch party with clients at a beautiful museum in Buffalo and were ready for the May 1 transition.
Then the pandemic hit.
In less than two weeks in March, Hurwitz & Fine went from 100 percent on-site to 100 percent remote. All business travel, client events, and court appearances were canceled. Construction on a major office renovation project at our headquarters was halted. Most jarringly, our discussions about the leadership change were, almost overnight, replaced with COVID-19 planning.
On a personal level, I would be lying if I said I did not question whether the timing of the leadership change was right. Maybe it would be best to not rock the boat with so much discord in the world. I was immediately concerned about maintaining as much stability as possible at the firm during a tumultuous time and wondered if inserting a new firm president into the mix was the right decision. As I weighed this, I realized that one of the best ways to maintain stability is to stay the course. For me, that meant moving forward with firm plans to transition leadership on May 1st. Taking over the helm of a law firm our size in ordinary circumstances is daunting; taking over at the height of a pandemic was another thing altogether. I found the only way to take on this challenge was head on without quite literally looking back because this was unknown territory.
My first priority on May 1 was to find an effective way to assume the position of managing partner remotely (from my home where I also had three children distance learning, my husband also working remotely and two pets roaming around). This was, obviously, not part of the original plan. What would ordinarily have been an in- person office event now had to be handled from home through a computer screen and with e-mail. My goal was to offer stability, deliver a positive message, and offer reassurance—three critical attributes to navigating the economic, emotional, and health challenges the pandemic presented.
With 100 employees suddenly working in 100 different offices across multiple cities and regions, it became more important than ever to stay connected. Internally, pivoting from a traditional office environment to remote work was, surprisingly, near seamless, thanks to technology and teamwork. Video calls replaced office
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