Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates
P.C.
75 Ponce De Leon Ave NE Ste 101
Atlanta,
GA 30308(470) 294-1674
www.garymartinhays.com
Lawyers and their clients worldwide are responding to the coronavirus outbreak that, since December, has killed more than 67,760 people and infected more than 1.21 million. Law.com’s reporters around the world are covering the virus’ impact on law firm operations, client business, law schools, and lawyer and staffer safety. Here’s a collection of our coverage, which we’re continuously updating.
Jacqueline Thomsen | March 31, 2020
Among the recently filed complaints is a lawsuit from Morgan Lewis challenging the treatment of detained immigrant families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simon Lock | April 01, 2020
The move comes as the firm anticipates a spike in holiday requests once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
Leigh Jones | March 31, 2020
The court also authorized Chief Judge Janet DiFiore to explore the possibility of permitting law graduates waiting to take the bar examination or waiting for test results to practice under the supervision of licensed attorneys.
Victoria Hudgins | March 31, 2020
Law firms say they've had to heavily rely on technology as they add new lawyers and staffers to their firms. But there can be challenges in moving the hiring and onboarding process completely online.
Karen Sloan | March 31, 2020
Law students at Arizona State, University of Georgia and Georgia State are among those pushing campus administrators to adopt mandatory pass/fail grading.
Jack Newsham | March 30, 2020
Lawrence Garbuz, whose condition was earlier deemed critical, was at the center of a large cluster of cases that helped make the New York City region an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
Meredith Hobbs | March 30, 2020
The trans-Atlantic firm, which has about 550 U.S. lawyers, is temporarily cutting pay and furloughing or laying off some employees.
Lizzy McLellan Meganne Tillay | March 30, 2020
The firm said it is holding back pay for both equity and nonequity partners as part of "a cautious approach" to protect its finances.
Jack Newsham | March 26, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic and its economic impacts have law firms considering belt-tightening, but it’s not yet clear whether many firms will cut or change their summer associate programs.
Meganne Tillay and Krishnan Nair | March 27, 2020
Several other firms' recruitment pipelines have been affected by the uncertainty.
Karen Sloan | March 27, 2020
The National Conference of Bar Examiners is giving jurisdictions the option to postpone the July bar exam until the fall, but a growing number of law students want an emergency diploma privilege that will allow them to skip the exam completely.
Karen Sloan | March 26, 2020
A state bar task force is considering an emergency diploma privilege for third-year law students—an approach endorsed by more than 1,000 current students.
Karen Sloan | March 25, 2020
The University of Chicago Law School on Tuesday became the first top law school to say it will retain traditional grading for the spring semester, while many peer schools have moved to pass/fail grading.
Ryan Tarinelli | March 25, 2020
The group warned the Trump administration that the nation’s health care system needs to increase the number of ventilators and intensive care unit beds.
Phillip Bantz | March 25, 2020
“Information overload has already been a problem and this has only made it worse,” said Salary.com's top lawyer, Colin Levy.
C. Ryan Barber | March 25, 2020
The heightened risk of corruption has come as the novel coronavirus has upended everyday life and complicated the work of compliance teams tasked with heading off overseas bribery and other corporate misdeeds.
Karen Sloan | March 24, 2020
Third-year law students at Harvard, Duke and Southern Methodist University discuss the ways COVID-19 has upended their plans and how they are coping.
Karen Sloan | March 23, 2020
Law firms say they want the delay, in part, because a move to to pass/fail grading for the spring semester will muddy the hiring process. It's also unclear whether firms will even be in a position—or have the need—to dispatch partners to law schools for interviews in late summer.
Jenna Greene | March 25, 2020
When U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel of the Southern District of New York presided over online closing arguments in a Voting Rights Act case, the result was somewhere between painful and Abbott-and-Costello funny.
Cheryl Miller | March 24, 2020
The order also empowered trial courts to adopt any new or amended rules intended to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jason Grant | March 23, 2020
“We won’t know for a few more days, whether he’s going to get better,” said his husband, Zachary Baron Shemtob. “We’re just waiting and hoping.”
Mike Scarcella | March 23, 2020
The Minnesota Democrat described her husband, John Bessler, as "exhausted and sick but a very strong and resilient person."
Karen Sloan | March 23, 2020
A group of legal educators are pushing bar examiners to come up with alternative ways to license this year's crop of law grads amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Marcia Coyle | March 20, 2020
A U.S. Supreme Court spokesperson said Friday the justices are feeling healthy and embracing measures to minimize personal interaction.
Jason Grant | March 21, 2020
The founder of the Above the Law blog was put on a ventilator after “his oxygen levels dropped," according to his husband.
Dan Clark | March 20, 2020
"The undersigned organizations employ millions of individuals who are faced with this crisis and are doing their best to manage their personal and professional lives in the face of uncertain times. Many companies have instituted mandatory work-from-home measures to limit community,” reads a letter from companies and trade organizations to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
Jason Grant | March 19, 2020
Battling the novel coronavirus, Lat said that he’s experienced intermittent fever, joint aches, chills, fatigue and coughing for about 12 days, and, since last Sunday, has been pushing through labored breathing that requires him to receive oxygen.
C. Ryan Barber | March 20, 2020
“Actually interviewing people as part of an internal investigation, appearing before the government in whatever capacity—that is just not something that lends itself to remote work,” a white-collar partner at Quinn Emanuel says.
R. Robin McDonald Angela Morris | March 17, 2020
On one hand, attorneys are relieved. They say court closures minimize their own exposure to the coronavirus. But on the other, a gnawing worry tempers that relief.
Karen Sloan | March 18, 2020
At least five highly ranked law schools have said they are moving to pass/fail grading this semester—a change that could disrupt the normal law firm summer associate hiring process.
Frank Ready | March 18, 2020
With many law firms working remotely due to the coronavirus, attorneys may be prime targets for hackers and phishing campaigns looking to take advantage of the disruption.
Ryan Tarinelli | March 18, 2020
Workers for a company that employs between 11 and 99 people would be given at least five days of paid sick leave and afforded unpaid leave until the end of a quarantine or isolation period, according to the measure.
Karen Sloan | March 18, 2020
While the latest hiring data from NALP shows that 2019 was a strong year for summer associate hiring, the coronavirus is raising questions about whether those summer programs will take place as expected.
ALM Staff | March 20, 2020
Firms across the country are making decisions on whether to keep offices open amid the coronavirus pandemic. We catalog here those firms that have confirmed their plans.
Karen Sloan | March 16, 2020
Dan Rodriguez, a professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, is pulling together a online, pop-up class on the legal aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak.
ALM staff | March 17, 2020
Federal and state judiciaries in New York, California, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., are among the many across the nation that have been disrupted.
C. Ryan Barber | March 13, 2020
In a new court filing Friday, the DOJ corrected an assertion, made earlier in the week, that DOJ attorneys had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. "We are aware of persons in our office in Washington, D.C., who have exhibited symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and have sought medical attention," the government said in the new filing.
P.J. D'Annunzio | March 13, 2020
Amid the coronavirus-induced shock waves that have rocked the cruise industry, a group of investors has sued Norwegian Cruise Line after news articles exposed the company's alleged practice of lying about the severity of the disease in order to keep bookings, which caused the cruise line's stock to tumble.
David Thomas | March 13, 2020
A growing number of law firms are shuttering offices and adopting remote working plans in earnest to ward against the pandemic.
Dylan Jackson | March 13, 2020
The firm is still waiting for more information on the cause of legal assistant Lisa Carney's death, but has closed its offices in Seattle and Bellevue, while asking other offices to begin working remotely Monday.
Jane Wester and Ryan Tarinelli | March 13, 2020
In an attempt to manage traffic in busy areas of courthouses, Marks also suspended civil Trial Assignment Parts and urged that courthouse appearances for conferences be minimized.
Dylan Jackson | March 12, 2020
Brick-and-mortar firms weren't built with remote work in mind, say the leaders of distributed firms, so they face obstacles both physical and cultural as more attorneys log in from home to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Karen Sloan | March 10, 2020
Fewer than 10 law schools have J.D. programs that are mostly online, and many law faculty have never taught a distance education class. Syracuse law professor Nina Kohn breaks down how law schools can effectively shift classes online amid in-person class cancellations due to the coronavirus.
Karen Sloan | March 10, 2020
Nearly 150 law schools across the country have shifted classes online, or have announced plans to do so.
David Thomas | March 10, 2020
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath appears to be the first large law firm to close all of its offices because of coronavirus concerns.
Jane Wester | March 10, 2020
Attorney General Letitia James said she accepted the decision as a cautionary measure, but she emphasized the importance of starting the trial soon.
ALM staff | March 10, 2020
Judicial systems across the nation have implemented a patchwork of policies to deal with the virus, including canceling in-person hearings or requiring litigants to alert the court if they feel ill.
Michael A. Mora | March 09, 2020
Two Florida passengers are stuck on a cruise ship. But their lawyer has filed suit on land.
Karen Sloan | March 09, 2020
At least seven law schools in New York, California and Washington State have now canceled in-person classes or closed outright amid worries that students and employees could be exposed to COVID-19.
Angela Morris | March 05, 2020
If infected patients refuse to self-quarantine, there's a legal process to force them into isolation, but it involves courts, judges and hearings.
David Thomas | March 09, 2020
Law firms face a test over how to conduct business effectively with offices closed. But if the virus wreaks enough economic havoc, remote working may be the least of their problems.
Leigh Jones Vanessa Blum | March 06, 2020
Law.com journalists—Dylan Jackson, Heather Nevitt, Jack Newsham and Karen Sloan—report on how this rapidly changing situation is upending operations at law firms, law schools and legal departments.
David Bario Christine Simmons | March 08, 2020
The firm did not identify the partner but said he was resting at home with mild symptoms. New York's governor on Saturday declared a state of emergency as cases spread.
MP McQueen | March 06, 2020
Belmont discusses how in-house counsel at hospitals and health care systems such as her own are responding to the outbreak in the U.S. of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, or should be. She lectures and writes often on emergency preparedness.
Cheryl Miller | March 06, 2020
Judge Joyce Hinrichs of Humboldt County Superior Court, chair of a Judicial Council committee of presiding judges, said the coronavirus is a major topic of discussion among her colleagues. Some federal courts in Washington state were curtailing operations.
Angela Morris | March 06, 2020
What happens if a lawyer comes down with coronavirus right before a hearing or trial in court? Judges are urging attorneys to call in sick, and try using telephone or video teleconferencing hearings instead of making court appearances.
Zach Warren | March 06, 2020
Most U.S. events over the next few months are progressing as scheduled, though all conference organizers are keeping an eye on the situation.
Phillip Bantz | March 05, 2020
"Employers are still out there and looking to add head count, though in the past month or so that seems to have slowed down a bit compared to the past year,” said Lina Guo, a director of in-house recruiting for Major, Lindsey & Africa in San Francisco and Palo Alto.
Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | March 04, 2020
The American Bar Association cancelled a national event for white-collar lawyers, Baker Botts will hold its partner meeting virtually, and other organizations are reconsidering plans.
Meredith Hobbs | March 04, 2020
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, Alston & Bird, King & Spalding, Baker & Hostetler and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan have all created task forces of lawyers to respond to client questions on the coronavirus.
Karen Sloan | March 04, 2020
Students from both schools had contact with a Midtown lawyer now hospitalized with the coronavirus.
Amanda Bronstad | March 04, 2020
John “Jack” Hickey, of Miami’s Hickey Law Firm, said that personal injury lawyers would look at whether health care facilities or cruise ships took “all reasonable measures” to prevent exposure to the coronavirus.
Victoria Hudgins | March 04, 2020
As more law firms leverage remote work access to weather the latest coronavirus threats, some can find that going remote isn't all that easy, or safe.
Jack Newsham | March 03, 2020
New York City officials said the 50-year-old attorney worked at Lewis and Garbuz, a trusts and estates law firm in Manhattan that lists six lawyers on its website.
Karen Sloan | March 03, 2020
The school in Shenzhen, the only one in the world to offer both a U.S. law curriculum taught in English and a Chinese Law curriculum, expects to restart classes online this week, using the program at a U.S.-based law school as a guide.
Eva von Schaper | March 03, 2020
A partner at Vienna-based firm Wolf Theiss is seriously ill and hospitalized with COVID-19, and three additional employees have tested positive.
MP McQueen | March 03, 2020
The novel coronavirus that apparently originated in China has appeared in the United States, as public health officials said they expected. So what are the steps that U.S. employers and their in-house counsel should be taking now to prepare to minimize legal or financial exposure here?
David Thomas | February 28, 2020
Latham & Watkins is the latest big firm taking steps to head off potential coronavirus infections.
Dan Packel | February 28, 2020
The virus has rattled the global economy, and the state of the Democratic primary race has unnerved powerbrokers. Are the industry's recent revenue gains in danger?
Dylan Jackson | February 27, 2020
The virus, officially known as COVID-19, has now spread to 47 countries and has infected at least 82,000 people.
Lizzy McLellan Christine Simmons | February 26, 2020
Major law firms are postponing or canceling events in the U.S. and further limiting international travel as the virus spreads.
Anna Zhang | February 18, 2020
Law.com International's Hong Kong bureau chief, Anna Zhang, had been visiting her family in mainland China when the coronavirus outbreak occurred. She is still there. She filed this report late last week:
Simon Lock | January 27, 2020
As the deadly virus spreads, international firms in China are taking steps such as reimbursing taxis for staff to avoid them taking public transport, stepping up cleaning efforts and distributing masks.
Anne Bagamery | February 26, 2020
As COVID-19 cases increase, law firms and their clients focus on prevention and planning.
Autumn Cafiero Giusti | February 25, 2020
With continued flight cancellations and imposed travel restrictions, it's important to know what travel insurance covers.
Varsha Patel | February 24, 2020
Several large law firms have shut down meeting rooms and are encouraging remote working in Milan, the closest city to the outbreak.
Karen Sloan | February 06, 2020
Loyola University New Orleans Law Professor Chunlin Leonhard was supposed to spend the academic year in China as a Fulbright Scholar. But the coronavirus outbreak upended those plans.
Hannah Roberts | February 06, 2020
Law firms including Reed Smith and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe have advised all staff to avoid traveling to mainland China
Catherine Wilson | February 21, 2020
U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala offers insights into some of the hidden impacts of employer benefits on their workers' health. Oh, and get a flu shot.
Sue Reisinger | January 30, 2020
The legal issues range from potential liability for an employee’s exposure and subsequent illness to complying with local Chinese laws governing the situation to assessing the impact of the crisis on contracts requiring the company to manufacture or purchase goods in China.
Patrick Smith Simon Lock | January 27, 2020
The virus has infected 2,827 people and killed 81, according to China’s National Health Commission. It's becoming a concern for the legal community that lives and works in China.
Walter J. Andrews and Cary D. Steklof | February 12, 2020
As a hub for international travel and tourism, South Florida businesses are hardly immune from the economic consequences of this epidemic.
Sue Reisinger | February 12, 2020
Experts told Corporate Counsel on Wednesday that outside companies and their general counsel have three options: grant the exemption, fight the exemption in court, or try to negotiate a compromise.
Steven L. Schwarzberg | February 26, 2020
With the United States bracing itself against the impending onslaught of the 2019 Coronavirus, employers need to focus on prevention and workplace safety, anticipate concerns of employees, implement pro-active procedures, and avoid legal pitfalls.
Catherine Wilson | March 04, 2020
Four people in close contact with infected attorney test positive for Covid-19.
Angela Morris | March 03, 2020
The city of San Antonio has tapped outside counsel with Denton, Navarro, Rocha, Bernal & Zech for litigation over the coronavirus quarantine. The city has used the firm's attorneys in the past to defend lawsuits, and handle police and firefighter grievances.
Dan Packel | March 17, 2020
Lat announced his test result on Twitter just after midnight Tuesday.
Dylan Jackson | March 16, 2020
Legal assistant Lisa Carney left the office March 10 with flu-like symptoms and was found dead in her home March 12.
Dylan Jackson | March 16, 2020
The firm assured employees that the positive diagnosis does not require the shuttering of an office, per CDC guidelines.
Patrick Smith | March 16, 2020
Mark Frilot, a litigator serving clients in the construction industry, was reportedly in good health before contracting the coronavirus.
Jacqueline Thomsen | March 20, 2020
Judge Thomas Griffith said he was locked out of arguments for five to six minutes after he got dropped from the phone conference.
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