Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Summer 2020 - 5

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Opening Statement

Presidents prepare for unexpected
twists. But a quarantine?

i everyone. I'd like
to take a moment to
reintroduce myself. I'm
Eden Bucher, your Berks County
Bar Association President for 2020.
You have probably forgotten me
as all of the terrific social events
and large-group meetings that we had planned for the first half
of the year have either been cancelled or converted to Zoom
videoconferences. Zoom isn't my best friend. Well, that may
be a bit harsh. I attended a CLE last week via Zoom and was
incredibly happy to see so many familiar and
friendly faces. It's been a while since we've
seen faces without masks that make us all
appear like bandits preparing for a bank heist.
I loved the quarantine beards a lot of the men
were sporting. Thanks to modern technology,
working from home is actually very easy for
me. The commute is awesome, and I am saving
a fortune on gas. But I must confess; I miss
people, especially my co-workers. Fortunately,
my family is awesome, and I enjoy spending
time with them. However, their eyes tend to
glaze over as soon as I mention any section of
the Bankruptcy Code. And our Husky Kenai
and Corgi Sully are my two most loyal "coworkers" during this quarantine. Though they usually lie down on
the job when they are not making guest appearances on my Zoom
meetings.
At the Conference of County Bar Leaders in Hershey in
February, the last time I was in a room with more than 10 people,
a past president of a neighboring bar association led a session

titled "What to Expect from Your Year as President." He opened
the session lamenting about his presidency, which was somehow
derailed when a member committed some faux pas, which had to
be dealt with by him and his Board of Directors on an emergency
basis. This unexpected incident happened during a Bench-Bar
retreat, forcing he and his Board to call an impromptu meeting
at a poolside bar to hastily come up with a strategy for dealing
with the situation. Yes, my friends, the retreat was being held at
some tropical paradise. He ended his sad tale with the warning
that, "Your year never proceeds as you think it will." Yeah well, no
kidding buddy. I had a hard time feeling much sympathy for him
then, and even more so now.

ends late this year.

One of the perks of being Bar President
is the parking pass for the Reed and Court
Street garage. It is a huge plus given my
frequent trips into downtown Reading to take
care of busines at the courthouse and the Bar
Association building. I got it in the middle
of January and was living large, not worrying
about keeping track of my ticket or which
way my credit card needs to be inserted into
the finicky card reader. Now, I find myself
anxiously awaiting for those treks to the 600
block of Court Street to resume and hoping
I'll get to use my parking pass before my term

After our recent Pennsylvania Bar Association House of
Delegates Zone 2 meeting- held via Zoom and utilizing all
social distancing protocols-my friend Fred Mogel assured me
that he would make a motion to allow me to have a "do over," and
extend my presidency for another year. It is indeed a thoughtful
gesture, but not part of our bylaws. Alas,
I will always be thought of as the Corona
Beer of Bar Presidents.

I have heard some very disheartening
stories about counsel using the restrictions
that we are all laboring under to delay
litigation or otherwise gain an advantage
for their clients. I know that our job
is to do the best job we can for those
we represent, but utilizing a pandemic
as a litigation tactic? Come on, people.
Continued on next page
Summer 2020 | 5

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Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Summer 2020

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