Court tips and cocktails: Queens legal community unites on Zoom

The second QCBA happy hour zoom brought together judges, lawyers and recent law school graduates. Screenshot from Zoom conference

By Rachel Vick

More than a dozen members of the Queens legal community came together to catch up, talk through the state of the courts and relax by teleconference Wednesday night 

The second Zoom Happy Hour was organized by Queens County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Committee, Law Student Liaison Committee, Bar Panels Committee. and Professional Development Committee. Supreme Court Justice Darrell Gavrin served as a special guest and fielded questions from the attendees.

“We are now working remotely from home,” Gavrin said. “It’s a work in progress, uncharted waters. Nobody knows what to expect.”

Those uncharted waters have left many lawyers with unanswered questions about how to adapt to certain procedures like e-notarizations and remote depositions. Participants were able to share some solutions and alleviate concerns.

Though the state has not yet to set an official date for reopening courts, judges still have plenty to do.

“It's a labor of love, and you know some [judges] didn’t have laptops and were not equipped to transition,” Gavrin said. “It happened all of a sudden and the courts, in their usual fashion were not prepared for a pandemic of this size.”

“It’s not business as usual and I think it will change the way law is practiced.”

The call also offered an opportunity for participants to share advice and hear from other members of the community, like new attorneys who recently passed the bar.

“We hope [participants] are getting something from these events,” said Kristen Dubowski, co-chair of the Young Lawyers Committee. “We’re trying to use these to keep people updated, and try to help people keep in touch.”

“I don’t know if everyones zoomed out or if they look forward to these, but with a cocktail in hand it's a more laid back setting,” she added.