Practice Long and Prosper: A Manifesto for the Workers’ Comp Community

JULIUS YOUNG, ESQ.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

The California workers’ compensation community has been undergoing a major transition. The Covid pandemic altered many aspects of practicing workers’ comp law. A significant number of attorneys now work either partly or fully remotely. With most depositions online and conferences held telephonically, clients and opposing counsel interact in person less often. Attorneys in the same firm may be working remotely and rarely interacting with each other. Some applicant and defense attorneys have noted they are encountering more opposing attorneys from far ends of the state. This means that applicant and defense counsel are less likely than before the pandemic to know each other well. All of these factors affect the culture of practicing workers’ comp law.

Further, there has been a slow but steady generational shift as boomer-era attorneys and judges retire from the system, and mentoring less experienced attorneys has become more challenging. There’s less likelihood of meeting fellow firm members at the office water cooler or having lunch together. Attorneys are not bumping into colleagues at the WCAB since they are seldom there.