In Seclusion

During a crisis, professional associations become a touchstone for many in the profession in order to stay in touch with our peers and to continue professional development and even potential employment opportunities. I talk with the current Legal Marketing Association (LMA) President Jill Huse and LMA Vice-President Kelly MacKinnon to see how they are reacting to the needs of their members during this crisis. 

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

Yesterday I went virtually to Hawaii to see how the pandemic has affected one of the United States’ remote locations. Today I get to go to another paradise, albeit a little bit further north, and a lot cooler, to talk with Susan Falk, the State Law Librarian at Alaska Court System. While Alaska may have missed the brunt of the pandemic, it was not immune to the changes that a work from home environment has created.

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

The pandemic is sparing no one, even in the tropical paradise of Hawaii. I talk with the Hawaiian State Law Librarian, Jenny Silbiger about how she lead her staff through the transition to remote work and service to the courts, the bar, and to the citizens across the multiple islands of Hawaii. As many law librarians do, she reached out to others across the country and sought best practices guidance from librarians, museum curators, and government agencies like the CDC. It shows that even those who are thousands of miles away are still not alone. 

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

The pandemic and the changes in our overall work structure can be challenging to even the most experienced of us in the legal industry. For younger lawyers, those just starting off, or those who are having to take care of younger children at home while balancing work, this can be overwhelming. I talk with Victor Flores, Assistant City Attorney at the City of Plano, who is managing all of these challenges and is leading some 27,000 of his peers through his work as the current President of the Texas Young Lawyers Association.

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

Lucy Curci-Gonzalez is the Executive Director, and Emily Moog is Research Librarian for the New York Law Institute (NYLI). Late last year, NYLI updated its business continuity plans to include the possibility of a pandemic shutting down access to the physical location. This helped the staff and leadership navigate through the effects of the pandemic which hit New York City especially hard. Now they have created seven guidelines to help lead them back into the eventual reopening of services for the institute's members. 

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

The State of Georgia was one of the last states to restrict movement and one of the first states to announce plans for reopening for business. I talk with DeKalb County Law Librarian, Sarah Mauldin, about her experiences over the past two months as her county went into lockdown, and is now looking to gradually reopen. 

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

Holly Riccio and I have a lot in common. We are both former Presidents of the American Association of Law Libraries, and we have worked in a variety of different types of law libraries over our careers. At the beginning of 2020, Holly became the Director at the California Judicial Center Library. In her five months there, half of her time has been spent working remotely. We discuss how the courts she supports have changed how they conduct their business, and how that has changed how her library changed their support for the courts.

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

One of the bright spots of this pandemic, when it comes to the legal industry, is that many of us are realizing that the important thing we provide is tied to our services rather than our physical location. Law Librarians have been saying this for well over a decade, and now other parts of the industry are realizing that we are much more than an office in a tall building. Today I talk with Amy Small, Assistant Director of the Texas State Law Library, who is coordinating efforts across the state to provide services to a public who is in need. Amy sees the future of her services as being focused on how do we create services that focus on providing help to those who are far away.

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

May 1st began phase one of the reopening efforts for the State of Texas. Governor Abbott's order specifically lists libraries as one of the businesses which can open at a 25% capacity rate (and social distancing), but not all libraries are ready to open right away. I talk with Joe Lawson, Deputy Director of the Harris County Law Library about how he and the staff in Texas' largest metropolitan area are preparing to open later this month, and how they are providing vital services to the courts, the bar, and the general public.

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

Sometimes it takes an emergency situation for resources to really show their value. Many of us are seeing this when it comes to the Knowledge Management tools and process improvement methods that KM professionals like today's guest have been promoting for years. Add to this, she's only been at her current position for less than two months.

Jennifer Mendez is the Director of KM Innovation at Fisher Phillips, and while she is new at the firm, she brings years of experience in addressing the current needs of her new firm. As the saying goes, "never let an emergency go to waste," Mendez is finding the situation is allowing her to bring in new ideas, test and implement new processes, and quickly show the value of the KM and process improvement tools. 

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)