Hello,
The COVID-19 outbreak took many of us by surprise. And now it has metastasized into a pandemic that most of us have not experienced in our lifetimes. The impact on our nation has deepened and changed just in the time it has taken us to draft and finalize this message.
For example, trying to advise clients about SBA’s PPP and associated programs proved nearly impossible with daily program changes, moving guidance, and the PPP program ultimately ran out of money – all before the majority of small businesses could even apply. People and businesses are suffering, and the government’s assistance has been, generously put, ineffective.
We are committed to practicing responsible social distancing and doing our part to “flatten the curve” by complying with the NY/NJ State directives to close our offices to the public.
Fortunately, because of our prior commitment to smart legal technology and cloud-based services – such as Clio, Zoom, Office365, Adobe, Vonage, and Box – we can provide our services remotely, and we have been. We have already held mediations, depositions, court hearings and conferences, and client meetings using this unprecedented remote technology. We remain as accessible as possible to our clients and will, therefore, be reachable via the same phone numbers (201-518-9999) and other forms of online communication, including our firm’s social media pages, website, and emails.
The world will change again, things will open up, and business will resume – even if it’s not a return to “normal,” as we knew it before. As you think ahead to that time, one concrete item we recommend is that our business clients consider obtaining business interruption insurance – in case something like this pandemic happens again, which unfortunately no longer belongs in dystopian fiction. Please speak with your insurance broker, or reach out to Bruce Gendelman Insurance Services, a company whose principal Eugene has known for thirty years, and which can provide you with more information about business interruption coverage and other types of insurance you may need in this rapidly changing world.
And finally, in some positive news, we have permission from our client, Lenco Diagnostic Laboratories, which is one of the largest privately-owned diagnostic laboratories in the greater New York City area, to share their latest blog post about antibody testing, highlighted in this news article. They have been successful in obtaining the latest materials related to coronavirus testing, which will help to find positive cases in our community. This is a ray of hope, both in terms of obtaining meaningful governmental help and the role of private enterprise in reopening our economy.
Stay healthy,
Joshua Lurie & Eugene Strupinsky
PS. Working from home, there’s more time to observe these hopeful signs of spring.
