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As COVID-19 continues to spread, firms are taking the sort of proactive measures to ensure the safety of employees that the federal government eschews in favor of praying about it. The latest move in the effort to address the spread of the disease comes from Debevoise, who announced the suspension of all “non-essential international business travel.”
The policy excepts only trips approved by senior firm leadership, so your team had better feel pretty confident about that trip before you bug the management.
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Effective immediately, the firm is suspending all non-essential international business travel. For any international business travel to be considered essential, it must be approved in advance by me (for lawyers in New York), Arthur Armstrong (for administrative staff in New York), or your Managing Partner (for offices outside New York). Subject to the below, domestic business travel is not affected by this policy.
While the policy allows most domestic travel, the firm isn’t interested in putting employees in contact with large groups of people:
Also effective immediately, the firm is suspending all travel (international and domestic) for conference attendance, including conferences at which our personnel are scheduled to speak. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by me (for lawyers in New York), Arthur Armstrong (for administrative staff in New York), or your Managing Partner (for offices outside New York).
Personal travel is still not regulated by the firm, but management is requiring notification for travel to afflicted countries and a self-quarantine whenever folks return:
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We will continue to leave to individuals the decision concerning whether to travel for personal reasons. If you do travel for personal reasons, however, that travel will still be subject to the policy announced on March 2: “You must continue to notify the Managing Partner in your office (or me, if you are in New York) if you intend to travel to any of the following: China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Italy and Iran. Please note that if you travel to any of these countries or regions – even if only to transit through an airport located in one of these countries or regions on your way to/from another destination – we are likely to ask you to stay out of the office and work remotely for 14 days after your last presence in the country or region in question. Assuming you exhibit no symptoms of COVID-19 at the end of that fourteen day period, you may return to the office.”
If health policies are anything like bonuses — and we suspect they’re everything like bonuses — expect the rest of the Biglaw elite to quickly follow suit.
And then expect Cravath to go over the top.
Earlier: Prior Above the Law coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.