A Few Lessons, Lots of Gratitude

• Author: Kim R. Jessum
• Pages: 1-1

Published in Landslide, Volume 14, Number 1, 2021. © 2021 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or

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1

Perspective

I

considered many topics for this rst column as chair of

the ABA-IPL Section. All of us have experienced so much

personally and professionally during these many difcult

months of COVID that I hesitated to touch on the subject

here. But for me, this period has also been a time for learning

and life reection.

As a lawyer who works with and is passionate about the

current issues in the intellectual property profession, I am cer-

tain that I would not be where I am without the support and

guidance from my Section colleagues and friends. I appreci-

ate them even more this year, valuing the virtual times when

we have gathered and thankful for those who have shared

their wisdom for my practice and counseled me to prepare for

my year as Section chair. Anyone who is already involved in

our Section knows the kind of colleagues I mean. For those

of you who are not yet involved, I personally welcome you to

join us in whatever way you would like, attend our meetings,

and get to know our community.

I am proud that our Section managed to operate “as usual”

by holding our activities virtually: governance, committee, and

board meetings, developing and approving well-drafted resolu-

tions, growing our publications, and providing excellent CLE

programs—all by working from home. Many of our interna-

tional members and others who could not previously travel

have been able to participate using our virtual platforms.

This year, I nd that I appreciate even more the time I

spend with my family and friends. With young children (who

still want to be with their mother . . . all the time!) I had to

be creative. It was not homeschooling but “home playing” as

the new order of the day until we were able to establish our

bubble of friends and family to help. This way, my ofcemate

husband and I could work uninterrupted, and I had company.

Thankfully, my family and I have been healthy, and we could

all adjust. Even small things contributed to our well-being.

My own run-bike-weights routine was a good substitute for

marathon training and turned out better than sitting in trafc

or on the train.

Many of us have become accustomed to masks to pre-

vent ourselves from contracting COVID and to help others

stay safe. For me, the driver has also been a need to help oth-

ers, particularly those who could not see their loved ones

this year. My Buy Nothing group on Facebook allows people

in the neighborhood to list things that are no longer needed

or free services that curb waste and promote community.

Members are able to give away toys that their children have

outgrown and nd more age-appropriate ones—so the givers

do not have to toss them in the garbage and the takers save

money. A perfect opportunity to give back to the commu-

nity was offering a Thanksgiving meal and then a Christmas

dinner. By preparing a bit more food, I was able to provide

home-cooked dinners for neighbors who had to spend the

holiday without their families. My kids also contributed by

making holiday-themed napkin holders, and they had an early

lesson on how important it is to help others.

Fostering kittens also turned into a way to give back

when I took in two kittens from the shelter who had severe

eye infections. One became blind and the other ended up as

a pirate cat, but it was amazing to see these kittens recover

and adjust with no issues at all. Ultimately, two wonderful

women were willing to adopt the kittens despite their handi-

cap, and the kittens turned into thriving cats.

Several months after my husband and I became coworkers

at home, he returned to work. I missed him at rst but discov-

ered more “me” time activities during the workday, including

opportunities to meet by video with coworkers and friends. I

continue to be encouraged by the resiliency of children. My

hope is that this detour in the growth of my own two kids will

have an upside in their learning: to be both exible and grate-

ful. It is always about work/life balance, and each person

must do what is right for her or him. I am lucky to be healthy

(knock on wood), have a desk, a comfortable chair, two mon-

itors, a window, and some company (the foster kittens or my

resident cats). I am also lucky to close shop at 6:30 p.m. and

spend some quality time with my kids.

Now that we are getting back to “normal,” I want to be sure

that some lessons learned during COVID will continue while I

keep in mind how difcult it has been for all of us in different

ways. Even in the best of times, it is not always easy to balance

work and home life, but I want to remember what I discovered

during some of the worst of times. I will set aside time just for

my kids, continue to make positive contributions to my com-

munity, stay t and healthy, and check on friends and family

every so often to make sure they are doing well.

I am looking forward to seeing my ABA-IPL Section

friends and to meeting more of you, our members. I hope to

use a bit of what I discovered over the past year and a half in

leading the Section and in continuing our great work. n

Kim R. Jessum is chair of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property

Law. She is chief IP counsel US, associate general counsel, and

secretary at Heraeus Incorporated and VP legal at Heraeus Medical

Components. She can be reached at kim.jessum@heraeus.com.

By Kim R. Jessum

A Few Lessons, Lots of Gratitude