E D I T O R ’ S M E S S A G E D i n e e n P a s h o u k o s W a s y l i k – D P W L e g a l
happy pandemici-versary : What have We Learned ?
i hope you , too , will take a moment to take stock of where you were “ when the world shut down ,” if only to see how far we have come .
It was my husband ’ s 50th birthday . But our high
school junior had a FIRST Robotics tournament scheduled in Orlando the weekend of March 13 , 2020 , so we planned a Friday off of work , a low key dinner for two in Orlando , and a night in a hotel so we could be there bright and early Saturday to root on the Stealth Tigers as they competed against teams from all over the world . As the news filtered out about more and more cases of COVID-19 in the U . S . over the course of that week , we discussed whether to let our teen attend the tournament , but we ultimately decided that if the tournament was on , he could not let his teammates down . So we shipped him off to school at 4 a . m . to finalize loading the truck for the drive to Orlando , and I tamped down my overprotective urges . They arrived safely and started to unpack and set up for the pre-competition inspection .
But by 10 a . m ., organizers walked into the venue and announced that the event was cancelled , and everyone had to pack up and leave immediately . The team was back by 1 p . m . and sent home from school . Mike and I cancelled our hotel and dinner reservations in Orlando , and I quickly threw together a dinner with our parents here ( shown above ) in Tampa instead . I look at the picture from that night and think : We had no idea this was going to be our last dinner out for a very long time , and had no clue about all of the challenges the next year would bring .
All of us have a “ where we were when the world shut down ” story , and with the benefit of hindsight I urge you to consider writing down your early pandemic experience for posterity . As we move forward into 2021 a full year later , take stock of the positives and negatives from this experience .
This episode of Lawyer magazine does just that . Several articles in this issue explore the structural changes our courts have made to rise to the challenges presented by COVID-19 . President Paige Greenlee takes a
The author ’ s “ last normal photo before the lockdown ” was a birthday dinner for her husband .
compelling look at the benefits our profession has pulled out of the past year , including innovations in conducting remote court both in our Circuit and statewide ( page 8 ). Clerk Cindy Stuart shares with us the changes made within the Clerk ’ s office to make the stressful process of obtaining a domestic violence injunction smoother for victims during COVID times , eliminating the need for inperson visits to the courthouse in order to obtain certified copies of restraining orders ( page 16 ).
Former Second District Court of Appeal Judge and current Federal District Court Judge John L . Badalamenti , confirmed in the thick of the pandemic in June , 2020 , shares the challenges of becoming a trial court judge in the middle of a global health crisis and more “ off the record ” of his journey to the bench in a fantastic interview with Michael S . Hooker ( page 18 ).
This issue also shares wonderful stories of rising to the occasion through service , both to the profession and to our community . Our Executive Director highlights Bay Area Legal Services ’ pandemic response , while also spotlighting the recent winners of the Bar ’ s Justice &
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