This is the first new blog post for Hope Law since January, when we took a few minutes to wish all of you a happy new year. Of course that was a sincere wish to all of you, but who could have anticipated what this year would bring?

Trying to strike the right tone here is tricky. Too much levity and it feels like we are flying in the face of the significant (to say the least) trials, struggles and pain that so many have gone through and in many cases are still going through. Too much “reality” and we’ll all wind up depressed rather than uplifted. It is a difficult one.

Apart from anything else, what can be said that has not been said already? Who would have imagined that the word “unprecedented” would become the most hackneyed and overused word of the year? Who would have thought that “Zoom call” would become not only a thing, but two words to strike terror into the hearts of people working remotely the world over? Who could have anticipated the upheaval to home, school and working life, the loss of life, the strain on medical and care services, the struggle for all of us to adapt to increased isolation?

And yet, we persevere. In the face of so many hard choices around separation from family, sacrifices, vulnerable people and financial hardship, we keep going. As Hope Law, we have kept going, making use of PPE, sensible social distancing and technology to make sure we can still help those who come to us. As a family we have kept going, trying our best to shepherd our children through lockdowns, cancelled exams and holidays and an unusual start to University life. We have tried our best to keep going with supporting those around us – donating to food banks, plugging local businesses that we know are going the extra mile, checking in on our more vulnerable or isolated clients. Fundamentally, we keep going, together.

So, we’re still here. We’re still just a phone call away if you have a question, concern or worry and don’t quite know where to start. We won’t always be able to help you directly ourselves, but if we can’t help you, we will always do our best to point you towards someone who can. If we can help you, then Lockdown 2.0 or not, you will still get the same kindness and expertise that we have sought to show to everyone we come across, we will always look after you the very best we can and whatever it is that we are helping you with, we’ll aim to give you that peace of mind that at times like these can feel so very hard to come by.

Take care and keep safe.