Festing at Home but Together in Spirit

Working at a plaintiff law firm means that people come to you at some of their worst moments, when some of the worst things have happened in their lives, and you need to fight beside them and for them, reliving with them those experiences and the pain it brought them, to bring them some kind of justice.  It’s tough but wonderful when we can help so many people.

I guess that’s what makes our team so close.  We are a family.

When COVID-19 hit our city, the number of coronavirus cases immediately started spiking.  We had a hurricane evacuation plan that we put into effect allowing us to send everyone home to work remotely.  We are all hunkering down, waiting for this “storm” to pass, and continuing to help our clients.  We are also talking to so many people whose businesses and livelihood have been affected by this shut down and to those who have contracted this terrible virus.

Although we are now remote workers, we are still together in spirit.

That’s why we had to continue our Jazz Fest traditions.  Every year, for Staff Appreciation Day, the firm gives everyone a “Day Off for Jazz Fest” on the first Friday of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival along with a ticket to the Festival.  We all meet at a spot in the festival designated by the Felicia the Fest Witch Flag and enjoy the music, food and sights together.  We always find a way to honor senior partner Russ Herman, the Jazz Fest Jester, like making custom second line umbrellas or creating hats out of strainers (it’s a long story).

This year, we are holding an event we are calling “Keep Ya Brass Home.”  We have again given everyone a Day Off for Jazz Fest on the first Friday of Jazz Fest, but we are asking that everyone “Fest at Home.”  We are going to cook our favorite Jazz Fest signature dishes (Crawfish Monica, seafood gumbo, Cochon de Lait po-boys, fried soft shell crab po-boys, etc.), mix up some strawberry lemonade, put on our Jazz Fest attire, get out our Jazz Fest lawn chairs and umbrellas, and sit at a safe distance apart in our backyards blasting music from our local musicians and Jazz Fest favorites.

While we know it’s not the same, it is the safest.

In addition, to help those musicians who won’t be able to perform this year, we are making a donation to the Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund – a statewide relief fund to support Louisiana musicians who have lost income amid the COVID-19 pandemic.