Shook, Hardy & Bacon has appointed Chris Johnson as the managing partner of the firm's San Francisco office.

Johnson has been tasked with leading the Bay Area branch of the litigation firm at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has largely brought trials to a screeching halt, a position that he acknowledges is somewhat unenviable.

"It's definitely a challenge," said the product liability litigator, who has been with the firm for about 22 years. "Like any leader who steps in during challenging times, it's like 'Someone's got to do it, right?'"

As with many freshly appointed managing partners, Johnson has plans for lateral development and diversity, which he says has reached a crescendo amid renewed calls for racial equality. But his top priority right now is the health and well being of everyone in the San Francisco office.

"That has to be the number one concern right now—making sure everyone is home safe, and they've got what they need to get by," he said.

He also wants to make sure people aren't feeling isolated right now, so he's touching base regularly with everyone individually to help people feel as fulfilled as possible.

Some of his other big agenda items are more logistical. For instance, not only is he preparing for employees to return to the office, but he's trying to determine how much office they need to return to, as their lease is set to expire next year.

"We'll probably be shrinking somewhat, because I think people are happy to some extent working remotely, with a mix of coming in the office and working remotely," he said. "So, we're working on what that will look like and where we might be next year."

When exactly the office reopens is still a bit of a moving target. Firm leadership thought they were nearing the horizon to welcome employees back in the office, but in San Francisco, they have taken a step back with Gov. Gavin Newsom's updated guidelines after a recent uptick in coronavirus cases.

Despite the uncertainty, Shook, Hardy & Bacon is one of the lucky firms when it comes to financial viability, Johnson said, as the firm had a good year last year and strong cash reserves. But it's still a struggle to reconfigure the trial firm to the current environment, he said.

"A lot of our clients are manufacturers or other people who rely on suppliers. Conversely, we have a lot of clients that supply others," he said. "So there's a lot of disruption in the supply chains, and consequently there are a lot of commercial and business disputes that we've been shifting toward."

Even Johnson has taken on some new commercial matters that he hasn't touched in a while, as the firm shifts its resources to supporting teams who are now very busy taking on new clients and new needs from existing clients.

"I consider ourselves having good fortune in some ways, but it's still a struggle," he said. "I know personally, with remote work and shelter in place, there are some people at the firm where it's hard for them to do their job right now, and we really can't wait to get back in the office, at least part-time," he said.