Haute Lawyer sat down with leading legal experts to discuss how 2020 affected their professional lives and how they adapted. Here is what they had to say.
Brett Trembly, Business Law & Disputes, Miami, FL
In 2020 I realized how much an agile team and strategy can make a difference. The remote economy is there to stay – you can just as easily take advantage of it and allow your folks to kick a butt remotely.
Robert Zarco, Commercial, Franchise and Litigation, South Florida
Zarco, unicorn, Salkowski, and Brito are blessed to have built luxury office space in 2018 that is very spacious and physically distant to ensure the safety and comfort of our employees and customers. It enables us in a unique way to work together at a time when our customers in this challenging environment are counting more than ever on our service and at the same time to create social distance. We are deeply saddened by the terrible suffering and loss that COVID-19 has caused so suddenly, dramatically and unexpectedly, including many of our customers in the restaurant, hotel and hospitality industries. Founding partner Robert Zarco is proud that the law firm has been able to continuously support our valued clients and team in a manner that has maintained full employment and full pay throughout the pandemic for all of our employees in 2020, including the addition of additional lawyers and staff . We are optimistic that the introduction of vaccines will ease the spread of COVID and allow us to return to some normalcy in our personal and professional lives soon in the New Year.
Karen J. Lapekas, Tax Law, South Florida
2020 was a year to look for silver linings. If you’ve kept your eyes open, you’ve undoubtedly seen many. As a tax defender, I definitely did! Although the IRS closed, reopened, and then slowed down (more than ever …), it also offered expanded opportunities to resolve tax liabilities. For example, my clients have resolved issues that were previously blocked by outdated restrictions. I’ve also processed cases from my home office, saving countless hours in travel and related expenses. It wasn’t “business as usual”, but in many ways it was “better business”: more efficient and just as effective!
Sandy B. mug, Family Law / Divorce, South Florida
I see an influx of high income, high net worth individuals from states like New York and California moving to South Florida inquiring about Florida divorce laws and procedures. It seems many were considering divorce before the pandemic. After the marital homes and corporate offices are sold, and the children are relocated and enrolled in schools, they are ready to divorce here once they are granted a six-month permit Florida may be a more convenient jurisdiction for the breadwinner seeking the divorce.
Zachary Schorr, Real Estate Law, Los Angeles, CA.
2020 enabled us to let technology open doors to new courtrooms, new locations and a new kind of legal practice – ubiquitous, online and efficient. We help customers everywhere.
Roxana Tejeda, Real Estate Law, South Florida
Covid-19 has taken my company to a new level by implementing various forms of virtual software to interact with customers on a daily basis. This innovative virtual connection has enabled our company not to miss a beat during the pandemic and continue to deliver for our customers. I expected all businesses to slow down dramatically, but real estate didn’t.
Roxanna Talaie, Personal Injury Act, Los Angeles, CA.
2020 presented unique and unprecedented challenges, but also new opportunities and opportunities to serve our customers with compassion and efficiency. Our commitment to our customers has never been stronger and we continue to fight valiantly for the justice of injuries victims.
Jeff Love, Real Estate Law, Los Angeles, CA.
2020 was a tough year for everyone, but it had a dramatic impact on real estate across the county as residential and commercial properties struggled with landlords to close leases who, in turn, struggled with cash flow due to government-imposed closures. As a real estate attorney, this shifted parts of my practice from helping clients draft and negotiate new rental agreements to helping them structure and move leases between landlords and tenants. I am proud to say that I have had tremendous success in structuring deals that gave landlords some cash flow to further open and service their debts and tenants some leeway with rent deferrals and reductions. I attribute this success to my representing landlords and tenants, who continue to provide me with valuable insight into the issues that matter to each party.