OTLA Trial Lawyer Winter 2021

9 Trial Lawyer • Winter 2021 See Virtual Practice p 10 doormen at the bottom of the elevator. “She made it to the parking lot!” My assis- tant was so proud of our potential client, who had a rape claim, because she had almost made it all the way to our office this time before she canceled her appointment, asking to reschedule to another time because of a panic attack. When we have the assumption that in-per- son services are better, we often miss the people we are excluding. The women who do not feel safe in a closed room with a man. The BIPOC who do not feel safe in a closed room with a white person. The person with a disability who is physically or mentally challenged just to access an office building. Those are just a few ways in-person services prevent access to justice for some of our most injured and traumatized. Honestly, as I worked in the idealized in-person, fancy office space, it became more and more clear to me how the as- sumption that in-person services are better is a remnant of white, patriarchal terrorism. Even now, these are spaces that women and people of color have only been allowed to access as low-paid work- ers. That’s not to say having an office is bad. But the assumption that it is better could be contributing to injustice that most of us want to end. When I decided to start an online business, I did it to provide better ser- vices, not as a placeholder for in-person services. When you create a work-from-home situation or an online law firm, a good reason to do it is to provide more access to justice and to do better than what in- person firms are providing. If you are trying to imitate what in-person firms are failing at, at best you’ll fail better. Why not serve better instead? In creating an online law firm or work-from-home practice, the most Holley sends each client a welcome box with taste, smell and feel symbols for the challenge the person is facing.