by
David
McNew/Getty
Images)
While
life
goes
on
as
usual
in
the
City
of
Los
Angeles
at
large,
about
one
square
mile
of
downtown
LA
remains
a
hotbed
of
civil
unrest,
with
mostly
peaceful
protests
against
ICE
raids
having
been
flooded
by
members
of
the
National
Guard
and
the
U.S.
Military.
With
a
curfew
in
effect
from
8
p.m.
to
6
a.m.
daily,
area
law
firms
have
opted
to
transition
employees
to
remote
work
on
an
as-needed
basis
and
have
either
moved
meetings
to
an
online
environment
or
simply
postponed
them.
Biglaw
and
midsize
firms
in
the
downtown
LA
protest
zone
are
taking
extra
steps
to
make
sure
that
their
lawyers
and
staff
are
able
to
avoid
the
commuting
inconveniences
that
have
become
associated
with
the
protests,
like
road
closures
and
public
transportation
delays.
The
American
Lawyer
has
the
details:
“When
the
curfew
was
announced,
I
think
we
were
most
worried
about
the
protesters’
reaction
to
the
announcement
of
the
curfew,
more
so
than
the
actual
curfew
itself,”
[John
Nadolenco,
managing
partner
of
Mayer
Brown’s
Los
Angeles
office
and
co-chair
of
its
global
technology
industry
group,]
said.
Although
employees
working
in
Downtown
LA
are
exempt
from
curfews
if
they
leave
immediately
after
work
concludes
and
carry
their
work
ID,
Nadolenco
said
Mayer
Brown
has
been
encouraging
its
attorneys
to
avoid
lingering
in
the
area
at
night.“We
certainly
told
our
people,
look,
we
don’t
know
what
downtown
is
going
to
be
like
after
dark,”
Nadolenco
said.
“Certainly,
[on]
Sunday
night,
downtown
didn’t
look
great
after
dark,
so
I
told
folks
they
should
feel
free
to
leave
so
that
they
didn’t
have
to
deal
with
either
protesters
or
traffic.
…
I
told
people,
‘You
do
what
you
think
is
best
for
you
and
your
family
under
your
circumstances.’”
Nadolenco
went
on
to
say
that
Mayer
Brown’s
lawyers
have
“gotten
in
and
out
as
normal.”
Things
are
going
similarly
for
lawyers
at
Hanson
Bridgett.
After
a
single
day
of
recommended
work
from
home,
Kristina
Lawson,
the
firm’s
managing
partner
and
chair
of
its
management
committee,
said,
“We
did
not
ask
anyone
in
the
downtown
LA
office
to
work
from
home
on
Tuesday,
Wednesday,
Thursday,
[Friday]
of
this
week,
as
it’s
been
up
to
them
as
to
whether
they
go
into
the
office.” A
spokesperson
for
another
local
firm,
Square
Patton
Boggs,
noted
that
“[t]he
disruption
was
minimal,”
and
that
“[p]eople
worked
remotely
for
a
day
or
two
without
missing
a
beat
and
are
back
in
the
office.”
It
seems
to
be
business
as
usual
for
lawyers
in
Los
Angeles.
We
here
at
Above
the
Law
extend
our
thoughts
to
all
affected
by
the
government
overreach
that’s
taking
place
within
the
protest
zone.
Los
Angeles
Law
Firms
Navigate
Working
Amid
Civil
Unrest,
Curfews
Downtown
[American
Lawyer]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
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on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
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with
her
on LinkedIn.