North Carolina Lawyers Weekly
The solar eclipse that passed from coast to coast on Aug.21 was a timely reminder that whatever our differences may be, we all live under the same sun. Many attorneys say they stepped out of the office for a little while that afternoon to take in the rare spectacle. Attorneys at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton in Winston-Salem, where the moon obscured about 95 percent of the sun, decided to turn the occasion into a party.
Stephen Berlin, an attorney with the firm, said that the office invited attorneys’ families to come join them on the firm’s six-acre campus, which sits on one of the highest points of elevation in the city, thus making it an ideal spot for viewing the eclipse. Berlin said the eclipse was an amazing sight to see, and brought back memories—the last solar eclipse to pass over the continental United States occurred in 1979 in the Pacific Northwest, and Berlin got to see that one, too.
“What was amazing was just the excitement around it,” Berlin said. “People wanting to be out there and wanting to be together to experience it, that was the coolest part for me. Nature will always awe you.”
Berlin said that skies were clear in Winston-Salem, and the firm had plenty of eclipse glasses (which became difficult items to acquire as the eclipse drew near). And attendees got to enjoy not one, but two, once-in-a-lifetime delights.
On eclipse day, Winston-Salem-based Krispy Kreme commemorated the occasion in its own unique way: for the first time ever, the company offered donuts glazed with chocolate. Krispy Kreme has an in-house legal department, whose lawyers joined the firm’s shindig, limited edition donuts in tow. Now that’s eclipse-watching done right.
