Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center
Tools to prepare and respond to business and legal implications
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Topics
We are helping to guide clients on a wide range of critical topics that impact their businesses.
Please see below for insights by topic.
Advocacy
Since March 2020, the U.S. federal government has passed multiple COVID-19 relief bills and spent trillions of dollars to bolster the pandemic response and stabilize the economy. Our advocacy working group has worked with clients to help ensure their interests are represented and considered in these response measures, and will continue to do so as the government manages the challenges of rolling out vaccines and safely returning to a pre-pandemic paradigm. These consultants and attorneys engage daily with Capitol Hill and federal agencies, leveraging decades of government, regulatory affairs and public policy experience.Benefits and Executive Compensation/ERISA Litigation
Our benefits and executive compensation/ERISA litigation working group advises clients on all aspects of the benefits landscape as plan sponsors, service providers and participants grapple with COVID-19 issues. Our attorneys are dealing daily with rapidly evolving compliance issues, litigation risks, and legislative and regulatory endeavors.
Commandeering and Government Takings
Our commandeering and government takings working group is prepared to assist clients when governments seek to commandeer or requisition private property to respond to COVID-19. In the coming weeks, we’re likely to see more government efforts to acquire real estate, such as buildings and other facilities, and personal property, such as equipment and supplies. We have the experience needed to help clients protect their interests, including the fundamental right to just compensation, during this process.Construction
Our construction working group helps clients evaluate impacts on existing and future projects. Our attorneys are engaging daily with project executives, industry leaders, and state and local governments to evaluate the latest developments from the impact of COVID-19.
Consumer Goods and Retail
Our attorneys develop comprehensive solutions for companies manufacturing, distributing or selling consumer products. We provide clients with pragmatic and timely advice on how to manage and overcome challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contracts
The contracts working group helps clients understand and navigate their contractual obligations in the face of the business disruption caused by COVID-19. Knowing whether or not you need to provide notice to a customer or balance your production equitably among customers in case of decreased productivity can help you position your business for maximum resilience. By combining legal experience with the QuarterJack Contracts Analytics platform, our professionals efficiently analyze and extract actionable business information from individual agreements or from sets of thousands of contracts.
Crisis Communications
A global pandemic can do something few other events can: commandeer the discussion so completely that it can be nearly impossible for a client to cut through the noise with relevant information for its target audience. Our crisis communications professionals have held roles in both media and public relations and have decades of experience communicating clients’ messages within critical, fast-moving situations.
Cross-Border Supply Chain
Our cross-border working group advises original equipment manufacturers, suppliers and subcontractors whose global supply chains have been impacted by COVID-19. Our professionals focus on cross-border contract negotiations, contract matters, mitigation, and international litigation or arbitration with geographic focus on China, the United Kingdom, European Union, South Korea, Japan, Italy and other affected areas.
Data Privacy and Cybersecurity
The data privacy working group answers questions about collecting information from and managing disclosures to employees, governments and other visitors about health, virus exposure and risk. Leveraging the team’s deep experience in health privacy and familiarity with international regimes, our professionals counsel clients in navigating the data privacy issues arising from the global public health crisis.
Education
Schools have been a focal point in the COVID-19 response. Educational institutions have predominantly moved to online learning, and the question of when schools and campuses can safely reopen has been top of mind for policymakers throughout the pandemic response. Our attorneys have advised education sector clients on how to navigate these challenges — and the downstream risks that they present, including potential litigation — throughout the pandemic response. We have also monitored, analyzed and helped clients to understand the funds and other measures that government relief packages have made available to education entities. We will continue to closely follow regulatory and legislative developments as policymakers address the challenges of COVID-19.FDA Regulatory and Global Trade
COVID-19 has underscored the interrelationship between consumers and companies across the world. The FDA regulatory and global trade working group is composed of attorneys and scientists who help clients navigate the quickly changing landscape. With scientific knowledge and keen legal acumen, our professionals provide up-to-date information from global public health agencies and practical advice on how to address complicated cross-jurisdictional issues.
Federal and State Tax
Our federal and state tax working group has been staying abreast of tax developments related to the COVID-19 crisis. Our attorneys advise on the tax aspects of the federal legislation that has been enacted in response to COVID-19, on relevant IRS pronouncements, and on state and local tax responses.
Finance and Restructuring
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed many companies in financial distress. Our finance and restructuring working group helps clients navigate these turbulent and uncharted waters — and develop strategies and solutions to protect their interests. Our attorneys also provide sound practical advice to our lender and creditor clients as they manage the many customers experiencing financial distress.Food and Agribusiness
Our food and agribusiness group helps companies navigate complex regulatory, litigation and transactional issues arising from the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing, sale and consumption of food. Our deep industry knowledge serves our clients, from farm to fork.Fraud
The COVID-19 fraud working group incorporates legal and regulatory professionals throughout Faegre Drinker practice groups around ongoing efforts to track instances of fraud related to COVID-19 programs (state and federal), treatment and therapeutic interventions, and ongoing responses to the public health crisis. Utilizing a comprehensive surveillance mechanism, the working group will identify areas at further risk of fraudulent activity and potential legal/policy responses to protect clients and consumers.Government Contracts
Our attorneys monitor and analyze the COVID-19 response by all levels of government to assist government contractors on issues arising out of the pandemic, including:
- Understanding and complying with government directives
- Benefitting from the CARES Act and other government relief measures
- Small business financing
- Performance disruption
- Cost allowability
- Suspension of work
- Terminations
- Claims
- Investigation response
Our attorneys have advised clients through many unusual challenges that have tested contractors, including the Gulf War, September 11 terrorist attacks, Iraq War and government shutdowns. We have experience in the issues that often arise from these challenging circumstances, including delays, suspensions, terminations, emergency actions, accelerations, cost allowability, claims, investigations and working with overwhelmed government officials. Our attorneys include national leaders in ensuring protection from liability under the SAFETY Act and PREP Act as well as compliance with small business and government contracts regulations.
Health Care
Since March 2020, health care providers have been on the front lines fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Our health care working group is closely following legal and regulatory developments on COVID-19 and assisting clients in understanding and addressing these issues.Immigration and Global Mobility
Our immigration and global mobility working group helps clients manage U.S., U.K. and global immigration, work visa, compliance and international travel issues for their global workforce when faced with sudden, unexpected consulate and border closings, self-isolation, social distancing, and remote work requirements and related issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Insurance
Our property and casualty insurance attorneys advise insurers on their obligations in evaluating and responding to property claims involving business interruption, event cancellation and related occurrences caused by crises, catastrophes and natural disasters. Our team advises insurers writing all lines of business on the application and impact of emergency actions taken by governmental and regulatory authorities in response to crises and how to deal with state Departments of Insurance and other government authorities’ directives on all insurance issues arising during crises. Our team of dedicated insurance attorneys and professionals stand ready to deploy customized counsel to address your litigation needs, regulatory issues, and legislative advocacy.
Intellectual Property
The intellectual property working group provides clients with timely information and insights concerning a wide range of coronavirus-related intellectual property issues that impact business, including those that relate to the applicability of federal statutes and regulations, the PREP Act, and relevant federal and state cases. In addition, we provide updates from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and other patent offices around the world that impact patent and trademark prosecution. We are also actively involved in counseling clients on IP licensing and other contractual issues in view of the COVID-19 impact.
Labor and Employment
Employment law and workforce management issues have been front and center throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as businesses work to maintain operations while keeping their employees safe. As vaccines raise the prospect of returning to a pre-pandemic paradigm, new challenges will emerge for employers. Our labor and employment working group advises clients on the entire range of workforce management issues implicated in the COVID-19 crisis, such as developing an employee vaccination policy, managing sick and family leaves and remote working arrangements, addressing potential exposure situations, and interpreting and applying employment laws and regulations being issued in response to the crisis.Litigation
The litigation working group helps clients resolve, or litigate if necessary, disputes involving vendor agreements, contracts for canceled meetings and conferences, and more. Our professionals help clients understand whether and how they can screen people from affected countries attending client conferences and meetings.Nonprofits and Professional/Trade Associations
Our attorneys that serve nonprofits and professional/trade associations are advising clients on the myriad of corporate, tax and commercial matters arising from the current COVID-19 pandemic. We are collaborating with attorneys across our entire platform to advise clients on questions regarding their contractual obligations (e.g., event, meeting, sponsor and attendee impacts), insurance coverage and risk management questions, sensitive employment matters, and stakeholder communications. In addition, we are assisting employers and their related charities (public charities, private foundations and donor advised funds) with the creation or expansion of employee assistance programs to meet the emerging needs of their workforce. Together with our public affairs colleagues, we are advising our clients of the federal and state loan and grant opportunities for which they may qualify in this current environment. Our nonprofit clients are meeting critical needs within our communities and we are privileged to provide legal support so that they can focus on their core charitable mission.
Product Liability and Mass Torts
The product liability and mass torts working group assists manufacturers with risk assessment, labeling, crisis management, tort liability issues, exposure issues and product warranties. Our multidisciplinary team helps manufacturers avoid, mitigate and defend against product liability, class actions and mass torts arising from injuries occurring in the United States and abroad relating to COVID-19. We can help you develop and execute a comprehensive approach to guide you through this complex and fast-moving situation, counsel you on applicable regulations providing immunity to certain manufacturers and distributors of COVID-19 related products, including the PREP Act and other state and federal regulations, help walk you through amending contracts to mitigate future tort liability, and partner with you to defend against any claims or litigation that may arise from the global pandemic.Public Companies (SEC)
The public companies/SEC working group draws on decades of high-level government, industry and law firm experience to help clients keep up with — and get ahead of — rapidly changing guidance from SEC, NYSE and other financial regulators. We provide counsel and hands-on assistance with public company compliance and disclosures, regulatory filings by registered entities, and examination and enforcement inspections and investigations.
Real Estate
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a major shift in the workplace model, as remote work has substantially reduced the need for office space. Our COVID-19 real estate working group advises real estate owners, developers, property managers and builders on how to adapt to this changing real estate market. We also advise clients on how the pandemic may affect new and existing real estate loans and contracts as well as proposed developments and support clients on property management issues emerging from the pandemic.Small Business and Franchise
Our small business and franchise working group advises clients on the myriad legal, business and public health issues they face with COVID-19. These attorneys and consultants are engaging daily with clients on identifying strategies to help them survive the COVID-19 challenges.
State, Local and Tribal Governments
Our state, local and tribal governments working group partners with officials and private clients on the public health response to the COVID-19 threat. Our professionals are working with public agencies as they establish and implement emergency management powers that affect businesses and citizens and on how state, local and tribal governments will provide public services during the pandemic.
