The Law Society of England and Wales have produced a business continuity toolkit to help law firms and practitioners consider the issues they could and should be looking at when deciding how to strengthen their businesses.
The continuity toolkit is made up of:
- 1. Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Guidance for law firms
- The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the scheme) is a financial package which helps all UK employers pay the wages of workers in organisations that would otherwise have to reduce their workforce due to the coronavirus pandemic. The guidance covers
- eligibility
- claiming a grant
- choosing who to furlough
- getting agreement from workers, and
- frequently asked questions.
- 2. Top tips for firms to preserve their cashflow
- Written by Simon McCrum of McCrum Consulting and Andrew Allen of PKF Francis Clark these tips are aimed at firms experiencing problems in maintaining cash flow – possibly as a result of clients experiencing similar problems and not settling outstanding legal fees.
- 3. An online tool to determine your and your firm’s eligibility for government support measures
- This tool will help to identify a firm’s entitlement to the government’s coronavirus (COVID-19) business support scheme using 10 questions leading to the production of a report.
- 4. Video-insight from managing partners and senior leaders on how to weather the storm
- A real life explanation of how one firm developed itself in the face of the 2007 credit crunch.
- 5. Our position on the use of virtual execution and e-signature during the pandemic
- A note which brings together a variety of established guidance in relation to virtual execution and the use of e-signatures.
It sets out:
- a pragmatic and accessible statement of the law,
- views as to best practice,
- suggestions as to how the interests of clients may be best served in the current challenging climate, and
- suggestions as to how contracts may be entered into in an effective manner, where it’s not possible to follow what we otherwise understand to be best practice.
You may also find it useful to refer to articles by Infolegal to be found elsewhere on this website. These include: