As my husband, Phil, and I spend this week boxing up our downtown office, I reflect on how much the practice of law has evolved over the past almost year and a half. Before March of last year, Zoom was an application used by few, virtual offices were looked at as a step down from large offices with picture windows and dark furniture, and working from home wasn’t fathomable. Until there was no alternative.
As solos who traveled quite a bit, Phil and I were fortunate to have delved into the world of cloud computing and virtual offices early on, so working from home during the pandemic was just another day … well, a year and a half of days … for us. It reinforced how glad I was to be a solo and to be able to choose how and when I could work while balancing the needs of family. It wasn’t easy (and, honestly, I have never been so tired), but I couldn’t imagine having made it through any other way.
I have had a number of colleagues reach out to me over the past few months asking about the “solo life.” Not only do I encourage lawyers to consider going solo, but I also strongly believe that you get out of it what you put into it. If you are thinking about making the change for the coming year, you won’t want to miss our Technology & Practice Management Advisor Adriana Linares’ upcoming Tech Tuesday with Liz McCausland. You can get a handle on all the basics you’ll need to consider when making the move.
As our year comes to a close, I am reminded that each end is a new beginning. I love planning during this time of year for what promises the future can bring. Dream big, my friends.
Yours,
Renée N.G. Stackhouse
2021 SDCBA President
Reading now: Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You: Poems by Misha Collins
Listening to: Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas
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