Cordell & Cordell Knoxville Litigation Manager Emily Vowell recently published an article that appeared in the Knoxville Bar Association’s monthly magazine titled, “A Lifelong Lesson In Extending Grace.”
In the article, Ms. Vowell writes of the experience of practicing family law throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Vowell reflected on the last year and how the changes essentially forced literally everyone into some common ground.
“For the first time in my 13 years of practice, I suddenly had something in common with every single one of my clients,” she said. “We were all living this surreal ‘quarantine life,’ maybe not in the exact same way, but especially in the early months of the pandemic, we were all affected.”
Ms. Vowell went on to write about the many challenges of practicing law remotely, particularly when courts were completely shut down. While much of the pandemic was difficult, she said there are parts of it we should try to hold onto.
“We can (and should) continue to communicate with our colleagues in a congenital tone, while still zealously advocating for our clients,” she said. “We can continue to mediate by Zoom if we need to, because, well, why wouldn’t we? And we can continue to show our clients empathy and compassion, and extend them much-needed grace, as the benefits to them far outweigh the costs to us.”
Read Ms. Vowell’s full article on Page 10 of the June 2021 issue of the Knoxville Bar Association Magazine DICTA.
Written by Joseph E. Cordell
Joseph E. Cordell is the Principal Partner at Cordell and Cordell, P.C., which he founded in 1990 with his wife, Yvonne. Over the past 25 years, the firm has grown to include more than 100 offices in 30 states, as well as internationally in the United Kingdom. Mr. Cordell is licensed to practice in the states of Illinois and Missouri and received his LL.M. from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Joseph E. Cordell was named one of the Top 10 Best Family Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Missouri.
