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CLOSING ARGUMENT DECEMBER 21, 2020 ¦ 41

EDITORIAL BOARD

Before the pandemic struck, we built and the bar, with hearty congratulations provided by
maintained our camaraderie in our daily interac- all those who marveled that anyone could survive
tion in the courtroom or conference room, and, a half-century doing this. Now the CBA mails each
more importantly, when we came together for recipient his or her 50-year pin. That’s it; the pin
bar association meetings, CLE programs and so- comes in the mail.
cial events. We met and shook hands—and some All those opportunities to build and enjoy that
of us hugged—and over rubber chicken dinners spirit of friendly good fellowship have been lost and
or bag lunches we shared experiences, jokes and will remain lost for at least the foreseeable future.
war stories and commiserated about the burdens No in-person, robust congratulations for our col-
we bear. We went to formal dinner dances with leagues’ important successes. No chats in the hall-
our spouses and partners and got to know each way before the pre-trial to bemoan the unreason-
other even better. ableness of our clients and perhaps discover some
In so doing, we came to know and respect our common ground before seeing the judge. No catch-
colleagues and develop lasting ing up over a drink with a col-
friendships with many. And that league not seen in many months.
interaction affected for the bet- No handshakes. No hugs.
ter the way we dealt with people Little has been written about
when we were adversaries. Break- the inevitable erosion of cama-
ing bread with your brothers and raderie at the bar that has result-
sisters at the bar today makes it Little has been written ed from all those losses, and, of
much more difficult to launch about the inevitable course, it defies quantification.
uncivil or unprofessional attacks But it is very real and most un-
erosion of camaraderie at

at them tomorrow. the bar that has resulted wanted. So what to do about this
But all that has been lost for from the pandemic. unfortunate situation?

nearly a year now. Instead, all our In the short term, there is
dealings inside the courtroom precious little that can be ac-
and otherwise are reduced to the complished; we are helpless to
cold, impersonal, utterly inad- avoid the restrictions under
equate and profoundly annoy- which we now operate. But if
ing Zoom meeting. And what a the vaccine has its reported and
loss it has been. The jokes and stories shared over hoped-for effect, then the burdens imposed by
dinner are now replaced with the participants com- the coronavirus, including those that have iso-
plaining their wifi keeps disconnecting and others lated us and kept us from coming together, may
holding up signs advising the speaker she never soon be eliminated. When that happens, we must
unmuted. Awards ceremonies had always provided move immediately to rebuild the camaraderie so
a rich opportunity to congratulate the recipient on important to our bar. Let’s get out of our sweat
her achievement and recognition by her colleagues; suits and silos. Let’s dress up like real lawyers
now we watch her pre-recorded testimonials on and get back into the courtrooms, and confer-
Zoom and show that silly hand-clapping icon. A ence rooms, and bar association meetings, and
mainstay of the CBA annual meeting—and later its CLE seminars and dinner dances. And let’s shake
Celebration with the Stars—was always the gath- hands. And for those so inclined, let’s hug. We
ering of those attorneys marking their 50th year at owe it to ourselves and our profession.
¦

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