BARBULLETIN Volume XXXVII, Number 4 • April 15, 2020
What’s Inside Applying Lessons from Disaster Recovery Efforts to COVID-19 Pandemic Page 6
MSBA Responds to COVID-19 Pandemic On the heels of a legislative victory on taxation of legal services, the MSBA has now shifted its focus to providing its members information and resources on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the practice of law.
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s part of its efforts, the MSBA created a dedicated webpage, www.msba. org/covid-19, to house resources, including a collection of all judicial orders affecting Maryland Courts, resource guides, links to free webinars, and articles about to manage your business remotely during this critical time. The webpage is updated daily
with new information, so please check back often for the latest resources. The MSBA has been working directly with the Maryland Judiciary to help answer many questions and provide recommendations based on questions and feedback received from practitioners around Maryland. Our work included submitting written ques-
MSBA Partners with Maryland Chamber of Commerce Page 6
Estate Planning in the Time of COVID-19 Page 10
Recordings of this program, Force Majeure and Insurance Coverage Issues During the Pandemic, and many more are available on MSBA"s Youtube channel
COVID-19 Small Business Bankruptcies - A Safety Net Viewed from Shallow Trenches Page 11
Municipal Emergency Powers in Maryland Page 13
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tions and recommendations, along with follow-up conversations between MSBA President Dana Williams and MSBA Executive Director, Victor Velazquez and Chief Judge John Morrissey, Hon. Laura Ripken, and several other leaders of the judiciary. We commend the Maryland Judiciary for acting quickly with respect to the COVID-19 crisis, and for being fluid and flexible in its approach to a fast changing environment. In addition to its work with the Maryland Judiciary, the MSBA has also been working with a variety of other entities, including representatives in the Governor’s office, Federal Courts, Administrative Courts, among others, to bring members accurate interpretations and implications of various orders, closings, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic is creating new and unique issues that together we can resolve for the safety of all. The goal in every conversation is progress not perfection. If you have questions about the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the practice of law, that are not being addressed, please let us know by sending an email to feedback@msba.org.
From now through June 30, 2020, the MSBA is offering free access to 150+ CLE and non-CLE on-demand webinars to all 40,000 Maryland attorneys
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n the heels of a successful effort in Annapolis to prevent proposed legislation that would tax legal services, and adversely impact every practitioner licensed in this state and law firms of every size, from solos to the largest Maryland firms, the MSBA has shifted its focus to provide a wealth of resources related to COVID-19 to every attorney in Maryland. VIDEO EXCLUSIVE
These resources are available to all 40,000 Maryland attorneys, including thousands of firms, legal services non-profits, governmental entities, and businesses with in-house counsel. The upcoming Maryland Bar Journal will be released digitally and made available to all legal professionals. We have also made our COVID-19 webpage available to all
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during these unprecedented times. On this resource page, legal professionals can find articles on remote work, information on the latest orders from the Maryland Judiciary, Governor and other entities, including interpretive guidance, a host of free webinars on legal issues arising from COVID-19, and resources on how firms can access various CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
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