Maintaining the seamless delivery of high-quality legal services our clients need, while at the same time ensuring the health and safety of our lawyers, staff, clients, and vendors during the COVID-19 pandemic is of utmost importance to all of us at Zukerman Gore Brandeis & Crossman.
We believe that recent developments in the fight against COVID-19, especially the rapid deployment of vaccinations, give us cause for hope. Nevertheless, we remain committed to prioritizing and enforcing the safety measures we established at the onset of the pandemic to comply with the requirements and recommendations of the federal, state and local authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health.
These safety measures, designed to ensure continued representation of our clients while safeguarding the welfare of all concerned, address a number conventional business activities, including:
Client and Internal Meetings
During the pandemic, we have put a hold on virtually all in-person meetings, including meetings with clients, judges, and opposing counsel, as well as internal meetings among lawyers and staff. Thanks to technology, we are able to conduct meetings using online video conferencing, share and collaborate on documents, and securely access client files and materials.
In those rare instances where in-person meetings cannot be avoided, we require that all parties follow CDC protocols for preventing the spread of viruses, including using appropriate personal protective equipment and maintaining minimum social distance.
Remote Working
Our technology has allowed essentially all of our lawyers and staff to work remotely while preserving the high standards of counsel, advocacy, service and responsiveness that our clients have come to expect. At such time as more and more of our lawyers and staff begin to return to the office, we will continue to enforce the measures we have put into place designed, among other things, to facilitate a safe reopening, which include rules for physical distancing, hygiene and cleaning, ongoing screening, and communication. In addition, all personnel are encouraged to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations as soon as they are able to do so.
Business Travel
All non-essential business travel has been suspended until further notice and, in most cases, we have even been able eliminate travel that until recently would have been defined as essential by rescheduling meetings and conducting other activities via teleconference. When travel is unavoidable, our lawyers adhere to the firm’s personal safety and hygiene protocols to reduce the risk contracting or spreading COVID-19.
Court Appearances
Currently, New York State Courts remain closed to all but a limited number of civil and criminal trials. Accordingly, most court appearances of our lawyers on behalf of clients have been moved to online or postponed. Some courts have informed us of new dates, while others have not, and we anticipate that some of the new dates may be further postponed.
Office Hygiene
We have outfitted our office with plexiglass dividers in the common areas and in conference rooms. The firm has also implemented protocols for maintaining a high standard of hygiene in all areas of our offices, including conference rooms and common areas. In addition, we’ve established procedures for rapidly responding to any COVID-19 exposure in the workplace, whether lawyers, staff, or visitors.
Naturally, we continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis, and will immediately implement any additional measures or changes to our policies and procedures as mandated or recommended by state, federal or local authorities.
For more information or to answer specific questions you may have, please get in touch with your traditional Zukerman Gore Brandeis & Crossman contact.