Dear Clients and Friends,
The novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, have rapidly become a top priority for governments, businesses, communities, and families worldwide. At Seale & Ross, we share your concerns. Our hearts go out to those who have already been affected by this pandemic and to those who now face difficult choices.
We assure you nothing is more important to our firm than the health and safety of our clients, lawyers, staff, and the many other people with whom we interact every day. We recognize our clients need updated information, thoughtful insights, and ongoing legal counsel to help address the numerous business and legal issues arising from this rapidly developing situation. We would like to briefly discuss two areas.
How Seale & Ross is Responding in the Near Term
We are closely following guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and federal, state, and local governments on appropriate actions to minimize the impact of COVID-19. Among many other initiatives, we have significantly increased the frequency and depth of the cleanings our offices receive, limited nonessential travel, and are using videoconferencing and phone calls instead of meetings when feasible.
Additionally, we have the support, technology, and capacity to assist our attorneys working remotely to respond and to serve client needs.
Please note that the CDC has advised the following, and we would like to help you stay safe during this time:
- Stay home if you have any flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, body aches…)
- Wash your hands frequently with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
- Cover your mouth with tissues whenever you sneeze, and discard tissues in the trash.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
- Avoid people who are sick with respiratory symptoms.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces.
- Limit unnecessary visitors to the workplace.
How Seale & Ross Can Assist You
Our offices in Hammond and Madisonville will remain open, with our attorneys available for telephone conferences and video depositions. If a meeting needs to be conducted in-person, we need to keep our employees and guests safe so we can help everyone during this national emergency. Here are steps we are taking to mitigate risk:
- Door handles, bathroom handles, key pads, tables etc. will be wiped down frequently throughout the day with disinfectant
- We will stagger work schedules to avoid having all employees in the office together
- Employees who have any symptoms will work from home
- Our buildings in Hammond and Madisonville are frequently cleaning all common areas and bathrooms throughout the day
- We will supplement this list as conditions warrant
To help businesses find substantive information on the numerous legal issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, our firm will continue to update you on our website. Drawing on our deep experience with regional disaster recovery efforts, we are committed to answering your questions and helping you navigate these difficult times. Thank you for your ongoing trust in Seale & Ross. We look forward to working with you to address and overcome these current challenges.
Please call or email our partners with any questions you may have, and we will keep you updated as we move forward. Be safe.