There likely is no one who hasn't been impacted—indeed, significantly impacted—by COVID-19. And, for the most part, people have stepped up to do what is necessary to keep people safe or help ease some of the anxieties of those who are at the highest risk of disruption in their daily lives.

Media accounts already have spoken volumes about the selfless health-care workers who are doing their best in constant crisis situations, often in inadequate safety conditions. Others have stepped up to gather, make, and otherwise provide personal protective equipment to these workers and others, such as police, firefighters, and the local grocery store workers, all of whom face daily exposure to the virus.

While some might reasonably argue that federal and state government officials were slow (and some still are) in their response to the pandemic, an issue that can be better discussed (and even voted upon) months from now, there is little doubt that most government officials and employees are now doing their best to react to the ever-changing dynamics resulting from evolving medical information and guidance and the flood of new laws and regulations. If you have any doubt about that, just look at the constantly updated web pages of federal and state agencies, which are synthesizing the latest guidance and advice for, among others, employers seeking guidance on workplace safety issues and employees searching for help in applying for wage-replacement benefits while out of work due to illness or lack of work.

And closer to our home, in a wide variety of ways our legal community continues to provide legal services to those in need. Working from kitchen tables, often with children fighting for their attention, lawyers are doing what they do best, such as protecting the rights of children and domestic violence survivors. The chair of one firm stated: "[M]indful of the disproportionate impact of these challenges on some of the underserved in our communities, our commitment to 100% participation by our lawyers in pro bono work carries on during this time." Another firm awarded its legal service partners $10,000 each to help them better weather the storm.

And our New Jersey Supreme Court has yet again led the nation, by facilitating an agreement that provides for the release of low-risk prisoners, who were at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus while incarcerated, and by addressing the needs of both recent law school graduates, who are unable to take the bar exam due to social distancing requirements, by permitting them to temporarily practice of law under the supervision of experienced lawyers and "the public[,which] has a continuing and growing need for legal services in many critical areas."

To everyone stepping up in these difficult times, we say "thank you."