Haute Lawyer sat down with top law experts to discuss how 2020 affected their professional lives and how they adapted. Here’s what they had to say.
Brett Trembly, Business Law & Business Litigation, Miami, FL
In 2020, I realized how much having an agile team and strategy makes a difference. The remote economy is here to stay – you might as well take advantage and allow your people to kick some butt remotely.
Robert Zarco, Commercial Trial and Franchise Law and Litigation, South Florida
Zarco, Einhorn, Salkowski, and Brito are blessed to have built luxury office space in 2018 that is vastly spacious and physically distanced for the safety and comfort of our staff and clients. It uniquely allows us to work collaboratively while social distancing at a time when our clients are counting on our service more than ever in this challenging environment. We are deeply saddened by the terrible suffering and loss COVID-19 has caused so many people and businesses in such a sudden, dramatic, and unforeseen manner, including many of our clients in the restaurant, hotel, and hospitality business. Founding Partner Robert Zarco stands proud that the firm has been able to provide continuous support for our valued clients, and our team in a way that maintained full employment and full pay throughout the pandemic for all of our personnel in 2020, including adding additional lawyers and staff. We are optimistic that the vaccines being rolled out will moderate the spread of COVID and allow us to return to some normalcy soon in the New Year in our personal and professional lives.
Karen J. Lapekas, Tax Law, South Florida
2020 was a year to look for silver linings. If you kept your eyes open, you no doubt saw many. As a tax defense attorney, I certainly did! Though the IRS shut down, reopened, and then slowed down (more than ever…), it also offered expanded opportunities to resolve tax liabilities. For example, my clients resolved matters that had previously been stalled by antiquated limitations. I also litigated cases from my home office and saved countless hours in travel and related expenses. It was not “business as usual” but in so many ways it was “better business:” more efficient and just as effective!
Sandy B. Becher, Family Law/ Divorce, South Florida
I am seeing an influx of high income and high net worth individuals from states such as New York and California relocating to South Florida inquiring about Florida divorce law and procedures. It appears many were considering divorce pre-pandemic and now that the marital residences and corporate offices have been disposed of and children have been relocated and enrolled in schools, they are prepared to proceed with divorce here once they’ve established 6 months of residency given Florida can be a more favorable jurisdiction to the breadwinner filing for divorce.
Zachary Schorr, Real Estate Law, Los Angeles, CA
2020 allowed us to let technology open doors to new courtrooms, new locations, and a new way to practice law – ever-present, online and efficient. We help clients everywhere.
Roxana Tejeda, Real Estate Law, South Florida
Covid-19 has brought my firm to a new level in which we are implementing various forms of virtual software to connect with clients daily. This innovative virtual connection has allowed our firm to never skip a beat during the pandemic and continue to deliver for our clients. I expected all businesses to slow down dramatically, but this has not been the case for real estate.
Roxanna Talaie, Personal Injury Law, Los Angeles, CA
While the year 2020 presented unique and unprecedented challenges, it also presented new avenues and opportunities to serve our clients with compassion and efficiency. Our dedication to our clients has never been stronger and we continue to fight valiantly for justice on behalf of injury victims.
Jeff Love, Real Estate Law, Los Angeles, CA
2020 was a difficult year for everyone but had a dramatic impact on real estate across the county with residential and commercial with Landlords struggling to work out deals with tenants to collect rent who in turn struggled with cash flow due to government-imposed shutdowns. As a real estate attorney, this shifted parts of my practice from helping clients draft and negotiate new leases to helping structure work out and deferments between landlord and tenant. I am proud to say I had tremendous success structuring deals that provided landlords some cash flow to continue to open and service their debt and tenants some breathing room with rent deferments and abatements. I attribute this success to my representation of both landlords and tenants which has continued to provide me with valuable insight as to the issues that matter both for each party.
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