BY LIZ AUSTERMUEHLE, PARTNER
As a parent, I am constantly adapting to my kids as they grow. Kids seem to change overnight, and what worked yesterday may not work today (and what might have worked with one child definitely does not work with the next!). As a working mom, integrating work and home life is a constant work in progress, all the more so when you add in a pandemic, working from home, school closures, and ever-changing Covid protocols.
Adaptation is just as essential to our role as lawyers. We have a professional responsibility to stay on top of changes in the law. A statutory change or shift in a court’s interpretation can create new obligations for our clients that need to be addressed. Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure can be incredibly disruptive to even the most seasoned litigators among us. But, we also have the pleasure of adapting to industry changes, new technologies, and diverse perspectives. This adaptation is something we have been doing more and more in the last year for our clients (especially those who are pioneering the spaces governed by NFT culture, blockchain, and the metaverse). These changes can feel daunting at first but learning about new subject matters is such a large part of what makes practicing law a field that never becomes boring. It’s why we’ve fostered a culture of curiosity at Jayaram Law. Adaptation is not simply waiting for others to tell us when the goal posts change, but being emboldened by challenges we face and finding creative solutions in real time. It’s really what drives us in the end.
And on a related note, while the legal profession still has a ways to go in terms of equity and inclusion, it is certainly more diverse than it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago. This progress has been slow, and challenging for our industry—no doubt. Yet, it has been proven time and time again that when law firms open opportunities to women, people of color, the disabled, and other minorities, they are only stronger for it. It results in more voices, more perspective, and more creativity. Adaptation to the rescue, again.