We are excited about the New Year and all the new opportunities it may present. As is often the case, we do carry forward some unfinished business from 2020. We are not alone, and like you we also have Covid-19 to contend with in the New Year. However, the future is bright on that front. The government initiated a program called Operation Warp Speed last April. It accelerates the delivery of vaccines to the American people at breakneck speed. Ordinarily, clinical trials of new medicines take years to complete. However, the cutting of many government regulations leading up to the pandemic made the development and distribution possible within a year’s time.
In the interim, it is business as usual. We all go on living while doing our best to engage in mitigation strategies. For instance, we keep our distance from others, wear masks, frequently wash our hands and avoid touching our faces. Early on we took things further and sheltered in place. As a provider of legal services, we are an essential service. So, we continued to serve our clients without limitation. However, in an abundance of caution, we transitioned to working remotely. We participated in the stay-at-home order in place in Orange County where our principal office is located, and did so throughout the month of April.
Working from home was one of 2020's new opportunities It did involve a bit of a learning curve, but in time we found ourselves just as productive if not more so working from a home office. Still, the threat of infection is not behind us so how have we continued to adjust to the threat?
We want all of you to know, that while we are happy to meet with clients in person, it is now necessary that you call to schedule an appointment so we can be sure you are here at a time when we can social distance. While calling to schedule an appointment is a practice we always recommend to ensure we are here and available to meet when you come in, it is more important now than ever. Then again, you may not feel comfortable meeting face-to-face. No problem! We can handle your cases from start to finish just as effectively by communicating over the phone.
Some of our client’s cases are in litigation. Events such as depositions and mediation are a part of the litigation process. They are customarily conducted in person with the client. Those events are now completed virtually using Zoom web video conferencing. We remain a well-oiled machine moving forward into the New Year. The one caveat our clients must be aware of is that there are many other parties to their claims. Some of those parties are at times in parts of the country that are following stricter mitigation efforts that could delay their response. In turn, it could delay the processing of the claim. Rest assured, Sherris Legal has pulled out all the stops in an effort to reach a favorable outcome for our clients as expediently as possible under the circumstances we currently find ourselves in.
