- This month’s newsletter is about wellness and the law. Working in HR, you may have had experience in helping judges, lawyers, staff etc with issues including wellness issues. Tell us a little about what you do day to day, and how you view your role with respect to the overall operation of the Court?
Answer: I provide court employees, supervisors, and judges guidance on various HR topics including classification, pay setting, benefits, leave, recruitment, performance management, and employee relations. I serve as the court’s leave administrator and handle all leave issues including voluntary leave donations and the new emergency COVID-19 leave.
I provide the new hire and benefit orientation for many of our incoming employees. Since we are usually the first face of the court, we try to make a good impression and demonstrate what a great court family we have. HR helps with the benefit enrollment process and any benefit issues that may arise throughout the year. In addition, many of our law clerks work for a short period, so we are constantly busy and help keep the train running for chambers.
- Where are you from? How long have you worked at the Court? Where did you work before?
Answer: I am from the Northern Virginia area originally. I love the area so much that I decided to stay after college. I have worked at the court for 5 years now. Prior to that, I worked at the Administrative Office of the US Courts providing HR support for local HR court staff across the country.
- Most of us have been adjusting to working remotely just since last March, how has HR adapted to teleworking? What has HR done to facilitate the needs of the Court in this time?
Answer: I believe teleworking periodically helped prepare us for the transition. HR can accomplish a majority of our tasks remotely now. We have successfully onboarded several new judges and their staff during this pandemic, many of them remotely. I must give a huge shout out to our amazing IT department for assisting with these remote set-ups. Working from home should be as seamless as working in the office and I think we have accomplished that.
- You just bought your first house – which is a whole different level of stress in non-pandemic times. How did you maintain (or try to!) wellness and balance during that process in a pandemic?
Answer: I enjoy yoga, reading, and relaxing with my boyfriend Kent and dog Shae. We are doing a few home renovations, so helping with demolition has helped relieve some of that extra stress.
- What is the role of HR generally as well as in times of crisis, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic? What can the Bar do to assist HR during this time?
Answer: We keep emergency contact information for all the employees of the court. If something were to happen, we would notify the employee’s point of contact immediately. The AO has been a great resource in offering emergency COVID-19 leave in case of illness to an employee or a family member. We also offer the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) program, which provides 24/7 confidential assessment, referral, and short-term consolations for any personal concern including: stress, grief, legal, financial, and more. It is available to all Federal employees, and they can be reached at 1-800-222-0364. HR sends out information and trainings regularly on these great resources.
Rapid Fire Round!
- Mac or PC?
Answer: Mac
- Top-three songs on your Spotify/I-tunes playlist?
Answer: Hurt Somebody – Noah Kahan and Julia Michaels, A Drop in the Ocean – Ron Pope, Come on Eileen – Dexys Midnight Runners
- A lot of people adopted dogs during the pandemic, what are your favorite dog parks near you?
Answer: Montgomery county just opened a fantastic new dog park in Dewey Park. I take my dog Shae there once a week now.
- Now that you have your first house are you modern farmhouse, Ikea minimalist, Architectural Digest Traditional, or other?
Answer: I like the modern farmhouse look. We will be renovating our kitchen with this style.
- Stay-at-Home Binge: Netflix, Amazon Prime or Doom Scrolling?
Answer: Netflix
Membership
The Bar Association provides its members numerous educational opportunities and opportunities for practitioners to meet and interact with the judges of the Court and colleagues from both public and private practice for these purposes. Our members work closely with the Court’s judges to develop programs, contribute to revisions of the Court’s Rules, and organize a broad range of educational and other activities.