SIDEBAR Summer/Fall 2020 - 19

arbitration is conducted like a trial and the arbitrator's award is
usually final.
Collaborative law is a legal process which allows parties
to work with their own individual attorneys and sometimes
other professionals to resolve their legal issues without court
intervention. This process allows the parties to have control of
the timing and outcome of their divorce, custody or support
process.
Assuming the parties have access to the internet, a smart
phone or computer, online dispute resolution is much more
convenient and economical than appearing in court. Parties
willing to use online dispute resolution are motivated to work
towards resolution instead of spending months waiting for a
court date. Zoom and other video platforms allow parties to be
present in the same room or step away into breakout rooms if the
need arises.
Online dispute resolution, whether the process is Mediation,
Arbitration or Collaborative Law, is more convenient, less
expensive and more efficient than traditional litigation. The
use of video conferencing to resolve disputes has proven very
effective during this period of isolation and may become our new
"normal."

Robert C. Gerhard, III, Esq.
Gerhard & Gerhard, P.C.
Our elder law clients initially resisted
videoconferencing when the COVID-19
crisis began, but now most people
understand that this is the new normal. We
have not had clients in our office for almost
three months now, yet we have maintained
an active practice. Sadly, we have had many clients die due to
COVID-19, and are routinely opening estates with the Register
of Wills through remote probate procedures. We have re-worked
our intake process, and now send engagement letters out
digitally for electronic signature. Payment of legal fees is often
made securely through our online portal. I miss the face-to-face
interactions of the practice and seeing friends at bar association,
but have been surprised by how much we can get done without
meeting in person. Hopefully this new normal does not last
forever.

Peter J. Kraybill
Gibbel Kraybill & Hess LLP
On the day the Pennsylvania Governor
ordered businesses to close locations, I took
home with me my firm's VoIP phone and
computer and the multiple monitors that I
have used in my paperless office located in
Ardmore's Suburban Square.

ATTORNEY DISCIPLINARY
AND ETHICS MATTERS
STATEWIDE PENNSYLVANIA MATTERS
NO CHARGE FOR INITIAL CONSULTATION

Representation,	consultation	and	expert	testimony	in
disciplinary	matters	and	matters	involving	ethical	issues,
bar	admissions	and	the	Rules	of	Professional	Conduct

James C. Schwartzman, Esq.

*	 Judge,	Court	of	Judicial	Discipline
*	 Former	Chairman,	Judicial	Conduct	Board	of	Pennsylvania
*	 Former	Chairman,	Disciplinary	Board	of	the	Supreme	Court	of	
Pennsylvania
*	 Former	Chairman,	Continuing	Legal	Education	Board	of	the	
Supreme	Court	of	Pennsylvania
*	 Former	Chairman,	Supreme	Court	of	Pennsylvania	Interest	on	
Lawyers	Trust	Account	Board
*	 Former	Federal	Prosecutor
*	 Selected	by	his	peers	as	one	of	the	top	100	Super	Lawyers	in	PA	
and	the	top	100	Super	Lawyers	in	Philadelphia
*	 Named	by	his	peers	as	Best Lawyers in America	2015	
Philadelphia	Ethics	and	Professional	Responsibility	Law	
"Lawyer	of	the	Year,"	and	in	Plaintiffs	and	Defendants	Legal	
Malpractice	Law
1818 Market Street, 29th Floor * Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 751-2863

Then I set up my office on a table in my home basement.
During the weeks of the shutdown that followed, I held Zoom
meetings with clients and staff and attorneys, and participated in
calls and other virtual meetings as I kept to my normal working
hours - just from my basement. I participated in various town hall
style meetings via Zoom, and with my law partners, successfully
applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan.
As per normal before the shutdown, I continued to file
documents with the aid of my staff and other attorneys in my firm,
such as at the USPTO for trademark maintenance, application and
opposition proceedings.
As Benjamin Franklin American Inn of Court President this
year, I conferred with my Board on cancelling remaining in-person
meetings and making preparations for a final social meeting to be
held via a Zoom call for an Intellectual Property Issues Quiz for our
members.
As I saw the shutdown fallout risks rising, I decided to host a
seminar on the available tools from bankruptcy and collections
law for business debtors. Joined by attorneys from other firms, I
moderated a virtual panel discussion on clients' business concerns
during financial uncertainty, and created a video to help my clients
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