Law firms and bar associations across the state are coming together to provide up-to-date information about COVID-19 and to provide help for those affected by the pandemic.
The Dorothy Butler Law Firm in Dripping Springs is doing pro bono work to help small business owners navigate the Small Business Association Disaster Loan applications. The firm has helped about 28 small businesses up to the time of this blog post. Butler said the firm will also be assisting with unemployment benefits for self-employed persons after the Coronavirus Relief Bill takes effect.
The Dallas Bar Association Community Involvement Committee is teaming up with Minnie’s Food Pantry for a virtual food drive. Items for donation can be purchased on the food pantry’s Amazon page.
Chelsie Spencer, co-chair of the Community Involvement Committee, said members have been assisting the food pantry by helping to set up the Amazon wish list of desired items. Spencer said Minnie’s Food Pantry usually receives three to six trucks of food from grocery stores but only received a single, printer-size box last week.
Spencer said the committee is also seeking to assist Dallas Life and senior centers. She said organizations really need help right now with packaging and processing. Attorneys can also volunteer to help organizations to set up online projects.
The Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Elder Law Committee has “adopted” a senior living facility to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. DAYL President Justin R. Gobert said attorneys can assist two ways: by donating products to the living facility and by having parents ask their children to write letters and make drawings for residents, staff members, and nurses.
Wish list items can be ordered through Amazon and addressed to Simpson Place Skilled Nursing Facility & Simpson Place ALF, c/o O’Bryan Dyson, Activity Director, 3922 Simpson St., Dallas 75246. DAYL is requesting that those sending letters or drawings fill out information in the letter log or send an email to Alexandra@dallasprobate.com. Templates for letters are also available online. Letters and drawings can be addressed to the same location as wish list deliveries.
DLA Piper has launched its Coronavirus Resource Center that includes the latest developments and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and other government entities worldwide. The resource center has information to guide clients, including insights and webinars, through the ever-changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials on the resource center cover topics including corporate governance, disclosure, and risk management; finance, restructuring, and transactions; government and regulatory; insurance, real estate, and commercial contracts; supply chain, manufacturing, and distribution; and workforce and employment.
If your law firm or bar association offers resources for the COVID-19 pandemic, email them to tbj@texasbar.com.