Stacy Stern, President of Justia (United States): „No nation has an independent future when it comes to law. We’re all in this together”

Read here part 1 of the WOLEP Talk with Stacy Stern

WOLEP: How did the COVID-19 pandemic influence the operation and development of Justia, and what are your main takeaways from the pandemic?

Stacy Stern: For sure, it influenced everyone. We already used a lot of video conferencing, but when the pandemic happened, safety was our top priority. So, for two years, it was a challenge to build the camaraderie within the team, a challenge to train new people. It’s not easy – we tried all sorts of things. In order to build camaraderie, we had video cooking class, as well as paint class... We’re gonna be having a talent show, also via video, this month. So these are some of the things that we tried to do. I think the pandemic made lawyers, who were previously maybe a little reluctant in this department, to embrace technology more.

It was also during this time that we added features to our lawyer directory, like a video chat information. So it has influenced Justia, and I am looking forward to a day, in the near future, when we go back to the office more often. We have a great team of people, some really great members, but they are not super close to the office at the moment.

WOLEP: Justia's services are not limited to the US, extending to Mexico, Central America and the Carribean, as well as South America. How important is it for you to also cover these areas and do you see WOLEP fitting into this scenario, maybe by setting up a collaboration with our network?

Stacy Stern: I like to think that no nation has an independent future when it comes to law. As they say, we’re all in this together. We started in the US, because this is where we are based, and we also worked a lot with Latin America. We would love to extend to other countries across the globe, and I’d love to know more about your organization, WOLEP, so I can figure out how we can work together.

I love the idea of working together with WOLEP – hit me up with ideas because, to my mind, we are sharing common values.

WOLEP: What are your team's plans for Justia moving forward?

Stacy Stern: Just continuous progress – to keep adding more free legal resources, and to serve our community as best as we can. I think I mentioned we’re going to redesign the Supreme Court center, we’re working on a business contracts section. It’s gonna be more of the same for us, mainly to keep adding useful information and to improve every day.

Are you a legal eagle with a passion for collaboration? Join forces with other legal professionals and elevate your practice to the next level. Don't wait, sign up now to WOLEP and connect with like-minded lawyers today. Register your account here.