2020 Year in Review: C. Jaye Berger, Esq., Law Offices C. Jaye Berger

Name: C. Jaye Berger, Esq

Title: Founder

Company Name: Law Offices C. Jaye Berger, Manhattan, N.Y.

What was your greatest professional accomplishment in 2020?
My greatest accomplishment of the year has been my ability to “go with the flow” in such a rapidly changing environment. I remember coming back to the office from court in March and hearing about quarantining and the Pandemic—like when someone flees a fire. I quickly put together what I thought were essential things I would need and left the office to hunker down remotely. Since then, I have been able to advise clients and complete a number of contracts and other matters, including the revision of condominium bylaws, “remotely.” I have had a number of Skype calls with various judges and counsel.

In one, the judge remarked, “I wish I could have whoever is helping you do the same thing for me.” They are accustomed to having skilled staff set things up for them. Many readers have come to my seminars over the years. This is the first time I gave a webinar instead. It is a very different experience from an in-person seminar. It doesn’t allow you to “read the audience” in the same way you can in front of a live audience. Those are the kinds of things stand-up comedians discuss. My webinar was about “Access and License Agreements.” It was for a chapter of the American Institute of Architects. I spoke about what architects and engineers need to know if their clients are being asked to enter into such agreements. What are the key terms, what are typical license fees and how they are handled by the court if there are disagreements.

It was interesting to see how many people attended and how many questions they had. Many construction projects are now being planned and are proceeding in earnest.