As you all are aware, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) recently declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic. This evolving situation is affecting our firm, our clients and our communities in rapidly changing ways. The health and well-being of our firm members, colleagues and clients is paramount and will guide us as we collectively respond to the developing COVID-19 outbreak.
The executive board and management team of MLT Aikins is meeting regularly to assess the firm’s response and proactively manage the impact of COVID-19 as it evolves. The firm has instituted a number of internal measures to ensure that we remain able to consistently serve your business needs and provide uninterrupted service. We will continue to closely monitor relevant WHO, Public Health Agency of Canada, and local governmental/health institutions, for all of the provinces in which we operate, for guidance on travel, staff exposure, premises and event management, and preventative measures to ensure our plans and response aligns with the latest recommendations and best practices.
As part of our initial response plan, we have:
- placed a moratorium on all international firm travel and further restrictions on other travel, including mandatory quarantine periods on firm members returning from certain international destinations
- postponed all large MLT Aikins hosted events until the end of April
- requested that firm members refrain from attending large business events outside the office
- implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols in our offices
- implemented and are regularly updating policies for personnel who become ill or are concerned that they may have been exposed to the virus
- encouraged our firm members to turn to reputable sources of information, rather than rumours and unfounded speculation
We have instituted business continuity plans with a view to proactively anticipate and respond to any potential for business interruption, and we have bolstered the tools we use to service our clients’ needs remotely to avoid any such disruption. Our IT systems enable our lawyers and client service teams to work remotely in a co-ordinated way and we do not anticipate any adverse impact on client service should the need arise for our people to work from home or other remote locations.
Our thoughts will continue to be with all those around our communities and the world personally impacted by COVID-19. We are grateful to all those in the medical and governmental communities who are on the front lines of fighting the spread of COVID-19.
If you have any questions regarding the firm’s response to COVID-19 or resources we can provide, please contact one of our team members.
We wish you and your loved ones good health and safety in these challenging times.
Sincerely,
Aaron Runge
Managing Partner