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48 www.canadianlawyermag.com NOWADAYS, IT'S not unusual for a toddler or a dog — or both — to show up on a Zoom meeting with clients or colleagues. It's the reality of working at home, remotely, during the COVID-19 pandemic. And it's not without its challenges, partic- ularly for female lawyers and litigators. "Because of the nature of the work, and particularly in the time before my son went back to daycare, it became very difficult to try to do my day job," says Tina Lie, a partner at Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP in Toronto. Dogs and babies join Zoom conferences, and courtroom technology adoption has improved, but female litigators still face challenges, writes Elizabeth Raymer How the pandemic has changed litigation "Scheduling conference calls and doing hearings from home while having a child at home and also a dog was difficult. I was basi- cally trying to schedule hearings and meet- ings to coincide with what I hoped naptime would be," she says. Lie and her husband, also working from home, would aim to co-ordinate their schedules to ensure one of them was able to watch their 18-month-old son when daycare centres were closed in the spring. Despite best efforts, Lie's toddler and the family dog have shown up on Zoom meet- ings with clients, "and that's actually not rare anymore." Female litigators who spoke to Canadian Lawyer described the challenges but also the silver linings that the pandemic has brought. Although Lie says the formal networking has suffered owing to fewer events, "I've found that the pandemic has also allowed female lawyers, and lawyers with kids, to support and commiserate with each other in a way we didn't before." The first few minutes with opposing LEGAL REPORT LITIGATION