2020 was unlike any year experienced before. We started the year involved in multiple trials between January and March. In fact, we successfully held a machine manufacturer accountable for the wrongful death of a husband and father of two (2) children under the age of six. Then, in March, we were scheduled to start another trial, where we intended to hold a company accountable for our client’s catastrophic losses when the courts abruptly closed down due to Covid.
Like others, we recognized the gravity of this situation. Immediately, we kept our team safe and pivoted to a completely virtual workflow. We never stopped working to help our clients, our colleagues, and our community during these unprecedented times.
As 2020 comes to its rightful end, we reflect on our accomplishments.
The Access to Justice Crisis
We believe in the justice system. When wrongdoers don’t accept responsibility for their actions, we turn to our courts to hold them accountable. When the world shut down in March, our courts did too. Since then, Massachusetts’ citizens have faced an access to justice crisis.
We recognize that “justice delayed is justice denied” and made it our priority to find ways to continue to deliver justice despite the new obstacles our justice system faced. Amidst court shutdowns, DILLER LAW became a thought leader tackling the access to justice crisis head-on. Marc was appointed vice chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s judicial administration council, where he met regularly with the court’s judges and administration to brainstorm solutions to this evolving crisis.
In practice, we found new ways to help hundreds of clients get justice during the pandemic. We were amongst the first MA lawyers to put on a virtual arbitration, to schedule Zoom mediations, to take Zoom depositions, and to request virtual court hearings. While others were waiting for life to resume, we innovated. We created a courtroom in our office for virtual trials, and we became leaders in the community helping many of our colleagues find new ways to deliver justice post-pandemic.
Marc and Dr. John became faculty members at the prestigious Trial School, and we regularly taught other lawyers locally and nationally how to deliver justice during these tough times. Throughout 2020, Marc was asked to lecture other lawyers on strategies to deliver justice in this new world. At DILLER LAW, we knew that there was a new normal and we embraced it. Click here to learn more about Virtual Mediation, Virtual Depositions, and Virtual Arbitrations – Trials.
Our New Web Series, The Hero’s Call
Back in March, hopelessness, and fear were abound. From the news cycle, it was hard to find good news in the world. In our professional experience, we see ordinary people do extraordinary things daily, especially during adverse times. We knew that great things were still happening around us. Thus, the award-winning web series, The Hero’s Call, was born.
Our mission was to inject positivity into our world in crisis. By spotlighting everyday people doing heroic work, we hoped to inspire others to find greatness in themselves. We launched 15 episodes in 2020 featuring a diverse assortment of people, who chose to step forward and to serve others.
Whether making a difference for front line workers, dying patients, struggling small businesses, broken families, the elderly, the afflicted, the disabled, or the underserved communities, we felt blessed to meet such amazing people. Find inspiration here and check out episodes 1-15!
Community Outreach
There is always a need for businesses to give back to the community, but this year was especially important.
In April, we launched the Feeding Families Campaign. We recognized immediately that there was not only an economic crisis affecting families; but also a small business crisis, significantly impacting our favorite restaurants. While the world was in lockdown, we delivered meals from local restaurants to local families and health care workers.
In May, we saw an ongoing medical crisis, where our health care workers lacked adequate PPE. We teamed up with I Love Boston Sports to give away t-shirts, the proceeds of which funded medical-grade masks for frontline workers.
In June, we noticed that more than ever families were using bicycles to get around. We teamed up with Landry’s and promoted bicycle safety all month long. Then, we gave away five (5) helmets and a brand new bicycle.
Early on, we saw that there was an education crisis affecting all children including those who lacked technological resources to participate in remote learning. During the spring, we teamed up with MATA and Sullivan & Sullivan to donate a Chrome book cart and 30 laptops to Lowell Public Schools. The Reilly School received everything just in time for school to resume hybrid learning in August.
In September, we recognized the sacrifices our teachers were making to resume teaching in this uncertain world. We gave away AirPods Pro, 10 $100 Gift Cards for education resources, and 10 Smile Masks to 10 worthy Massachusetts teachers.
In recognition of car seat safety awareness week, we teamed up with Tadpole Boston to educate new parents on car seat safety and we gave a new mother a Clek Foonf Convertible Car Seat.
With the economic crisis persisting and food insecurity at all-time highs, we helped families who needed a boost around the Holidays. We gave away over $2000 worth of gift cards to help families buy Thanksgiving meals and Holiday gifts.
With the world in such a crisis, we felt compelled to give back to the communities that have supported us so much over the years. We live and work in the community with our clients and when our community hurts, we all hurt. We aspire for a better, safer community. Click here to learn more about our 2020 Community Outreach.
Ask Dr. John Blog Series
The Ask Dr. John, Esq. series educates past, present, and future clients regarding injuries they have sustained. This year, Dr. John addressed a variety of topics including bicycle injuries, concussions, prostheses, and more. Dr. John ultimately wants to make this series interactive, where individuals can Ask Dr. John, Esq. directly and responses can be generated. Check out any articles you may have missed throughout the year here.
In summary, we spent the year carrying out our core mission of making a difference in the community by providing assistance to those in need and helping the legal profession adapt to the new pandemic world. On behalf of all of us at DILLER LAW, thank you for your support.
Stay tuned for what we have planned for 2021.
Sincerely,
Marc Diller, Esq. and the team at DILLER LAW, LLP<