Two months shy of my 18th Anniversary with Bradford & Barthel, I find myself working remote from a small town in the state of Zacatecas in Mexico, where I spent my summers as a kid.
Some of my colleagues have worked remotely from India, Pakistan, England and Italy over the past few years. When I joined the firm in 2006, I never would have thought that I would still be here 18 years later, much-less working remotely from another country.
A few things have contributed to my ability to do so – the firm’s understanding that there is life outside of work, and standing by us in the good and the bad and the changes that the pandemic brought. COVID-19 was tragic and historical but it also opened new opportunities.
I recall in March 2020 when I advised the staff in my office that the lockdown was coming and the next day, we would be sending everyone home with their computers. At the time I think we all thought we would be back in a few weeks. Four years later, I do not think any of us would go back to the way things were.
Post-COVID we have learned that working remote has afforded us new opportunities – not having to fight with LA traffic, not waiting around for your opposing counsel to sign into 10 cases before they get to you, and applicant’s ability to testify at a deposition from the comfort of their own home.
It has also afforded us the opportunity to pick up and work remote from any part of the world to spend time with family we may otherwise not have been able to do. May 2023 was my first-time working remote from Mexico.
In October 2023, I returned to spend time with my then 87- and 92-year-old aunts, as one of them was in decline. My 87-year-old aunt passed a few weeks after I left and I was grateful for the opportunity to have spent more time with her. This time I am back with my now 93-year-old aunt trying to spend more time with her.
While some say that the grass is greener on the other side, I like the grass I’ve been standing on for the past 18 years.
Got a question about workers’ compensation defense issues? Feel free to contact Patricia N. Carlos. Carlos is an equity partner and managing attorney of Bradford and Barthel’s Woodland Hills office. If you have questions about workers’ compensation defense issues, please feel free to contact her at pcarlos@bradfordbarthel.com or by calling 818.654.0411.
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