In Washington, Big Law Partners Bring a Spirit of Resilience to the New Normal

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced attorneys to quickly adapt to working remotely. The National Law Journal interviewed Finnegan’s managing partner Anand Sharma to find out how he is adjusting to this “new normal” and what he views as the silver lining in this situation.

Anand said, “Necessity is the mother of invention, and today, there is no shortage of need. As IP lawyers in this ‘new normal,’ we’ve had to pivot, almost daily, in response to judicial and administrative changes in procedure, and for some on our team, there are significant daily changes to home life as well. Flexibility has been the key. Our availability and accessibility remain critical, but we’ve had to shift our emphasis away from face-to-face contact, to now leveraging the best technological mediums to maintain that personal touch.”

Regarding the silver lining, Anand said, “Now that we all are largely working from home, we are getting to know each other and our clients in a more intimate way. The lines between personal and professional are blurring, which gives us better insight into the strength of the relationships we’ve built. This adjustment has also reinforced our firm’s commitment to teamwork. We’ve always been a tight-knit firm, but we’ve had to rely on each other in unexpected ways. On short notice, we were forced to adjust the way we normally work, but surprising even to me is that the transition has been quite seamless.”

Read the full article here.