Whiteman Osterman & Hanna Statement on COVID-19
With the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) expanding literally by the hour, Whiteman Osterman & Hanna is doing everything possible to support the safety, health and well-being of our attorneys, paralegals and staff. At the same time, the Firm has business continuity plans in place to ensure our ability to continue to serve our clients’ needs in the event of a disruption of our office operations or quarantine due to COVID-19.
Business Continuity
In order to ensure our ability to continue to serve our clients’ needs in the event of a potential disruption or quarantine event due to COVID-19, the Firm has undertaken the following steps:
Communication
All attorneys are equipped with mobile phones and will be reachable on those phones through their normal business telephone numbers. The Firm also maintains an Open Voice conference call system to conduct internal and external/client conference calls. Our email system will continue to be a primary means of communicating with clients.
Document and System Access
All of the Firm’s client documents are maintained on a secure cloud-based system, which is accessed through a Citrix environment via an encrypted TLS/SSL viewer. The firm’s attorneys and necessary staff will be able to access the system remotely if office operations are disrupted.
Working Remotely
In the event of a quarantine or like event, our attorneys are already fully equipped to work remotely, and the Firm would provide remote access to staff employees on an as-needed basis. The Firm’s team leaders have been designated to handle work assignments for those attorneys or paralegals who may be in need of clerical support during such an event.
Visiting the Firm
Because we intend to do everything possible to keep our attorneys, employees, and clients safe, we are instructing attorneys/employees to stay home or leave the premises immediately if they feel ill. We ask our clients to do the same. Please do not visit the Firm if you have any symptoms of illness. If you have recently traveled to China (including Hong Kong), Iran, South Korea, Italy or Japan, please call your attorney directly to discuss alternatives to a visit.
Substitute Space
The Firm is in the process of identifying potential locations for temporary space in the event that our office or our building is the subject of a quarantine or like event. The nature and location of any such space will depend on the nature and location of any quarantine.
For further information, please contact co-managing partners John Henry at jhenry@woh.com or Robert Schofield rschofield@woh.com.
