Lawyers Club Blog (ARCHIVE)

The struggles of working parents during this pandemic are real, and none more so than those endured by working mothers who are asking, “Will YOU fight for me?” Allow me to illustrate with a clipped conversation from the 2017 movie, The Bad Mother:
 

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared September 15 to October 15, 2020 Latino Heritage month because 15 million Latinos call California home. Newsom noted that “Latino Californians have borne a particularly heavy burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. The overwhelming number of Latinos who work on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 risk increased exposure to the virus. Coupled with generational health disparities, Latino Californians have faced devastating, disproportionate impacts due to this disease. This Latino Heritage Month, we soberly acknowledge these harms stemming from social and racial inequities and continue our commitment to tackling these disparities during this unprecedented health and economic crisis and beyond.”

While to many Labor Day signals the end of summer, to others it is about workers’ rights. A federal holiday since 1894, Labor Day recognizes that “[t]he vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known, and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.” (United State Department of Labor, Labor Day History).

Labor Day. Summer Vacations Winding Down. First Day of School. New Outfit. Freshly Sharpened Pencils. Parents-Sad, Happy, & Off to Work. These common September experiences are suspended this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents will reinvent these experiences to capture the pandemic version. What will not be seen in the photos or videos is the worry, the tears, and the struggle of parents as they determine how to ensure their child receives a quality education. The quality of which will depend on if the child attends school in-person, attends virtually at home or a combination.

This has been a tough year for many law firms and for many attorneys. Many law firms lost business earlier this year, while others have flourished. What you as an attorney, and your law firm, do in the second half of 2020 can make or break your year and set you up to weather any potential financial storm in 2021. Why does this matter from a financial planning perspective? Because your job – your career – is the source of the income that you need to live the life you want and to fund the goals that are important to you. A lot is at stake now, and how you manage your career moving through 2020 will have great impact on your financial future.

The power of choice has never been more on display than it was yesterday when a male presidential candidate deliberately chose a woman who is a person of color to be his running mate. Only two other women have been vice presidential nominees, Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Sarah Palin in 2008. This historical moment cannot be ignored and must be acknowledged regardless of political affiliation or thought.

Today is Black’s Women Equal Pay Day. It is not a day for celebration. Instead, a day of concern. A Black woman must work 20 months to earn the same $1.00 that men earned in 2019. Native American women will have to work 21 months for the same dollar and Latina women 23 months. Asian women earn the same dollar in 14 months.