One lingering question I’ve had since large swaths of the legal world shifted to remote work is how all the changes have affected junior litigators at large law firms. Those lawyers were already struggling to get court time and stand-up opportunities in front of judges and juries before trial dates got pushed and large portions of courtroom work shifted to video- or phone-conferences.

I spoke with Michele Johnson, the global chair of the litigation & trial department of Latham & Watkins for this week’s episode of Law.com’s Legal Speak podcast. The bulk of our conversation focused on her projections for the litigation climate in 2021 and the challenge of keeping her team of 800-plus litigators connected while managing her own busy docket. But in the excerpt below, Johnson talked about the unique opportunities that practicing during the pandemic has offered the firm’s most junior attorneys. The following has been edited for length and clarity. I’ll be sure to link to the full podcast after it goes live on Law.com.