From the President, 0621 WYBJ, Vol. 44 No. 3. 8

• Position: Vol. 44 3 Pg. 8

From the President

No. Vol. 44 No. 3 Pg. 8

Wyoming Bar Journal

June, 2021

The Practice of Law in a Global Pandemic

Billie LM Addleman

Hirst Applegate, LLP Cheyenne, Wyoming

In April, the Wyoming State Bar Board of Officers & Commissioners met in Thermopolis for the first time in person in seven months. We are optimistic we will meet again in person in June for our biannual strategic planning session. We have come a long way in the last 15 months.

The global pandemic altered just about every aspect of our society, including the practice of law. While we continue to open back up and return to "normal," many things will be permanently transformed. This edition of the Wyoming Lawyer is focused on the practice of law during the global pandemic. Here are a few of my observations and takeaways on that topic.

The Unknown We held attorney and partners meetings on Zoom. Our summer law clerks worked remotely, with limited time in the actual office. Virtual platforms allowed law clerks and new associates to more easily attend depositions, mediations and hearings. One of my partners, sensitive to her older clients’ vulnerabilities, held signings in the local park.

In the spring of 2020, we really did not know what to expect with COVID, the severity, the duration, and the economic and legal impact. Courts shut down. Trials were moved. Schedules were vacated. No one knew what was go- _ ing to happen, when courts would reopen, when trials might resume...