Law360 Coronavirus: Wed May 13 2020 Briefing
From Media & Entertainment Law 360
TOP NEWS
Masks, Sanitizer Recommended As New Norm For NY Firms
Going home at the first sign of symptoms of illness, bottomless supplies of hand sanitizer, wearing masks inside the office and erring on the side of working virtually are among the new realities that law firms should embrace as they look ahead to reopen, the New York State Bar Association said Wednesday.
Texas AG Says Dallas Can’t Stop Law Office Reopenings
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took aim at local coronavirus-related restrictions on Tuesday, telling Dallas County it was wrong to warn law offices not to reopen as essential businesses and Austin that it can’t require restaurants to trace contacts of their customers.
Paul Manafort Released From Prison Amid COVID-19 Fears
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was released from prison Wednesday to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement amid concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus in the federal correctional system.
COVID-19’s Shadow Spreads Across Federal Court Filings
Federal courts are seeing an explosion of complaints referencing the COVID-19 pandemic, and the surge is spreading to a host of practice areas, according to recently released Lex Machina data.
Coronavirus: How Law Firms Are Handling The Downturn
UPDATED May 13, 2020, 12:10 PM EDT | The spreading coronavirus pandemic has upended the legal industry, forcing firms to cut salaries, lay off attorneys and make changes to summer associate programs. Here is a roundup of how law firms are responding.
Jones Day, Others Amend Summer Programs Amid COVID-19
Jones Day, Allen & Overy LLP and K&L Gates LLP are the latest firms to confirm that they have opted to amend their summer associate programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus Regulations: A State-By-State Week In Review
California, Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania got the green light for more business reopenings this week as states continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, while in Texas a salon owner ran a proverbial stop sign and landed a now-rescinded jail sentence for opening against shutdown orders.
CLOSINGS AND RESTRICTIONS
Coronavirus: The Latest Court Closures And Restrictions
UPDATED May 13, 2020, 1:55 PM EDT | As courts across the country take measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, some are restricting access and altering their procedures. Here is a roundup of changes.
Coronavirus: The Latest EU Court Closures And Restrictions
UPDATED May 13, 2020, 12:01 PM GMT | As courts across the region take measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, some are restricting access and altering their procedures. Here is a roundup of changes.
COVID-19 Working Group To Tackle Calif. Judiciary’s Recovery
The Judicial Council of California said Tuesday it has started a Pandemic Continuity of Operations Working Group to study best practices and publish a framework for the state’s 58 superior courts to keep the judicial system operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR ATTORNEYS
Optimism Rising Among Private Lenders Amid Pandemic
Private credit market lenders have become more optimistic over the last month about making loans for a variety of asset classes amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a forthcoming report from Proskauer that Law360 has exclusively obtained.
PIPE Deals Are A Plus During Pandemic But Can Have Pitfalls
The coronavirus has drastically affected the public markets and caused companies to fall into financial hardship, and many businesses are turning to private investment in public equity, or PIPE, deals, which provide much-needed capital but can be tricky to put together and demand short turnarounds on due diligence.
Royal Caribbean Floats $3.3B Offering As COVID Losses Swell
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. on Wednesday said it has launched a $3.3 billion private debt offering to help pay off existing debt as the cruise line operator works to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.
Gilead Inks Deals With Generic Cos. To Make COVID-19 Drug
Gilead has struck deals with Mylan and other generic companies to make and sell its experimental COVID-19 drug remdesivir for 127 countries, drawing criticism from a consumer advocacy group that the arrangement “picks winners and losers” and that remdesivir should be in the public domain.
Judge Calls Atty’s Bid To Free Client Who Had Virus ‘Reckless’
A federal judge in Brooklyn blasted an attempt to spring a recovered COVID-19 patient from prison as “reckless,” telling a defense attorney that the request made the court question whether the lawyer could be trusted.
13 AGs Call For Amazon To Release Worker COVID-19 Data
Thirteen U.S. attorneys general called on Amazon and Whole Foods Tuesday to release information about the number of coronavirus-related infections and deaths among the workforce, as well as evidence of how the companies are keeping their workers safe.
Coping With A Pandemic: Winston & Strawn’s Bryant Gardner
As society continues to adapt to COVID-19, Law360 is sharing reactions from around the business and legal community. Today’s perspective comes from Washington, D.C.-based Bryant Gardner, a partner at Winston & Strawn specializing in the shipping and maritime industry.
EXPERT ANALYSIS
Current Crisis May Render Plaintiff ‘Reptile’ Tactics Ineffective
Plaintiffs in personal injury and similar jury trials frequently use the “reptile theory” to create a world of binary corporate decision-making — that companies choose between profits and safety — but the pandemic and the difficult decisions that have arisen as a result may provide a tool for combating this theory, say attorneys at Lightfoot Franklin.
A Path To Privacy Protections For Employee Contact Tracing
As companies face privacy challenges related to employee contact tracing to limit the spread of COVID-19, nationwide data protection legislation should look to key principles in the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act, say Kelly Belnick and Kenneth Jones at Tanenbaum Keale.
