“Business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) plans are an essential element of your and your suppliers’ business—an increasingly apparent fact as we now face the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. Your agreements with suppliers and service providers likely account for exigent circumstances via force majeure and BC/DR provisions, and reviewing and updating those contingencies now is imperative. The following steps will help you critically review how the BC/DR plans supporting your organization plan for COVID-19,” advises Aaron M. Oser, John L. Barton and Mia Render in Pillsbury’s Alert.

Read the four steps you should be taking.

Read the article.

“Much has already been written regarding the potential of COVID-19 to impact construction or development projects.  For example, businesses may experience personnel or material shortages, or stoppages that result from Government-directed actions. These delays jeopardize project timelines and place businesses in vulnerable positions regarding liquidated damages or other contract penalties. These businesses are reviewing their contracts to see whether they may seek relief pursuant to their contract’s force majeure clause,” reports Joseph Romero, Esq. in Vandeventer Black LLP’s Articles.

“Businesses performing mandatory remedial actions or other corrective action pursuant to regulatory enforcement documents, including settlement agreements and consent orders with Federal or State regulators, will face similar challenges. These businesses and individuals should review their settlement agreements or consent orders to understand the procedural requirements they must follow to invoke their force majeure clause.”

Read the article.

Read the article.

“Kelly Services Inc. named Janis Acosta as VP, interim general counsel of the company. Kelly’s senior VP and Chief Legal Officer Hannah Lim-Johnson has been separated from the company, Kelly reported in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission,” reports SIA Staffing Industry Analysts.

The company had named Lim-Johnson as chief legal officer in October 2017. Prior to joining Kelly, Lim Johnson served in several roles from October 2016 to April 2017 at PSEG in Newark, New Jersey.

Read the article.

“A St. Louis County Circuit judge has given preliminary approval to a nearly $1.7 million settlement on a class-action lawsuit. It affects about 10,000 people who were charged fees for the issuance of warrants or for failing to appear for a municipal court date in Ferguson, said Michael-John Voss, co-founder and special projects director with ArchCity Defenders,” reports The St. Louis American.

“These municipal court abuses were at the heart of the Ferguson uprising, which began after the killing of Michael Brown in August of 2014 and continued for about two years. Roelif Carter, a 62-year-old disabled military veteran, who depends on disability payment and food stamps, filed the case represented by ArchCity Defenders, the Saint Louis University School of Law Legal Clinics, and the Campbell Law Firm.”

“The city did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement. The American reached out to the city’s attorney for comment and is awaiting a response.”

“Circuit Judge Joseph Dueker has approved a settlement of $1,699,405 to be distributed among Roelif and 10,000 person class, as a partial return for the exploitative warrant and failure to appear fees they were charged by Ferguson’s municipal court between 2009 through the present. The parties have valued the total settlement being worth more than $5 million — a value that reflects the additional amount Ferguson would have continued to collect from 2014 through 2022 if it had not stopped charging the improper fees, attorneys said. The class of people who paid the fees will get 80 percent of what they paid back in a refund if they file a claim.”

Read the article.

“Directors of the Tulare Local Health Care District (TLHCD) voted  … to file a formal complaint against their former attorney with the California State Bar Association,” reports Dave Adalian in Valley Voice.

“’This is a mechanism to remove a bad apple from the profession,’ said TLHCD director Xavier Avila before the board voted unanimously to approve making the complaint. ‘If you’re driving down the road and you see an obstruction, a branch laying in the way, you remove it.’”

“Avila was describing the TLHCD’s former general counsel Bruce Greene.”

Read the article.

“The once high-flying California attorney Michael Avenatti wants a judge to reject a jury verdict that found he tried to extort Nike,” reports Larry Neumeister in The Sacramento Bee.

“Lawyers for Avenatti asked a Manhattan judge late Monday to overturn the verdict or grant a new trial for the 49-year-old man who rose to fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against President Donald Trump.”

“They said in court papers that U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe should take the rare step of overturning the jury verdict that convicted him of trying to extort up to $25 million from the shoemaker.”

Read the article.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has released the results of its COVID-19 Flash Survey Report. The survey, completed by more than 900 employers based in North America and with operations around the world, gauged their key concerns and actions in response to the pandemic.

The results reveal employers navigating far-ranging and thorny issues – from dealing with operational considerations related to closures and staffing shortages to keeping employees safe and managing morale to making tough decisions related to compensation and providing leave to those unable to work.

“COVID-19 has created a host of challenges for employers while accelerating fundamental shifts already underway in the workplace,” said Alka Ramchandani-Raj, a leader of Littler’s COVID-19 Task Force. “As the pandemic’s many lasting implications only begin to emerge, it’s encouraging that employers are moving quickly to take a range of actions in response to this rapidly evolving situation.”

Leave and Sick Pay

Nearly nine out of 10 respondents (89 percent) are concerned about determining whether to pay employees during absences related to the coronavirus. Further, 85 percent reported adjusting their sick leave policies or providing additional paid time off, or were considering taking these actions. A common theme expressed by respondents related to how to handle employees who cannot perform their jobs remotely and those who must care for children out of school or others who are sick.

“Companies already facing a patchwork of employee leave laws must now also comply with requirements to provide additional paid leave from measures passed in response to the pandemic. And many companies are implementing new policies and benefits to support employees during this difficult time,” said Melissa Peters, a leader of Littler’s COVID-19 Task Force. “The current regulatory environment and the novel nature of this virus give rise to several complex and nuanced questions about how to manage leaves of absence entitlements triggered by COVID-19.”

Employee Safety and Morale

The majority of respondents (93 percent) are worried about ensuring that workplace conditions and policies comply with applicable safety and health regulations. The most common steps taken in response were communicating hygiene practices and prevention measures (98 percent), restricting travel (83 percent) and canceling meetings (78 percent). Several survey respondents also said they were grappling with how to address employee anxiety and how to find the right balance in responding appropriately without panicking employees.

“Even before officials were starting to recommend stricter social distancing measures and states were beginning to institute stay-at-home orders, our survey respondents were taking several steps to keep their employees safe,” said Brad Hammock, co-chair of Littler’s Workplace Safety & Health Practice Group and a leader of the firm’s COVID-19 Task Force. “At the same time, with the workplace a defining part of many individuals’ lives, managing employee morale and mental health, as well as providing resources and support to help them cope, is understandably top of mind with employers.”

Additional Concerns and Actions Taken

• The need to temporarily close offices, factories or stores if an employee or customer tests positive for the virus ranked as the top worry among respondents with 96 percent expressing concern.

• Only 5 percent reported that their companies had implemented furloughs or short-term layoffs and another 43 percent were considering it. However, many U.S.-based respondents took the survey in mid-March before record-high unemployment claims were reported by the U.S. Department of Labor.

• Most respondents (83 percent) noted concern about inadvertently discriminating against members of a protected class or giving rise to discrimination claims in their COVID-19 response. However, avoiding discrimination against employees ranked lowest among employers’ concerns, with 17 percent reporting not being concerned at all.

The Littler COVID-19 Flash Survey Report was completed by 912 respondents, mainly HR professionals (54 percent) and in-house counsel (38 percent), between March 12 and March 25. Companies represented were of a variety of sizes and nearly all (98 percent) operate in the U.S., with a fair portion also operating in Canada (26 percent), Europe (26 percent), Asia (20 percent) and Mexico (16 percent), among other regions.

View the full report here: https://www.littler.com/files/littler_covid-19_flash_survey_report.pdf

About Littler

With more than 1,500 labor and employment attorneys in offices around the world, Littler provides workplace solutions that are local, everywhere. Our diverse team and proprietary technology foster a culture that celebrates original thinking, delivering groundbreaking innovation that prepares employers for what’s happening today, and what’s likely to happen tomorrow. For more information, visit www.littler.com.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Nathaniel J. Greeson has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C., office as an associate in the Government Contracts Practice Group.

Greeson represents clients in a range of government procurement issues, including bid protests, claims, disputes, audits, and investigations. He has extensive experience with Government Accounting Office (GAO) bid protests, agency-level protests, Court of Federal Claims (COFC) bid protests, and appeals before the Small Business Administration Office of Hearings and Appeals. He also is experienced with agency-level requests for equitable adjustments (REA) and claims, and Boards of Contract Appeals claims.

“We are very pleased to welcome Nathaniel as the newest member of our highly regarded team of government contracts attorneys,” said Bradley Washington, D.C., Office Managing Partner Douglas L. Patin. “With his experience in private practice, and as a government attorney with DHS/FEMA, Nathaniel brings valuable knowledge and expertise that will help our clients navigate highly complex government contracts legal matters.”

Prior to joining Bradley, Greeson was a government contracts associate at an AmLaw 100 firm in D.C., as well as senior litigation advisor for the Procurement and Fiscal Law Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Management Agency (FEMA) Office of Chief Counsel. For the agency, he litigated bid protests before the GAO and COFC, and appeals at the CBCA. In addition, he advised FEMA on a variety of legal issues related to solicitation structures, technical evaluations, source selection decisions, debriefings, cure notices, and terminations.

Greeson received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and his Bachelor of Arts from Belmont University.

Bradley is recognized as having one of the nation’s leading government contracts practices with work that covers all aspects of federal, state and local contracting and a particular focus on bid protests and claims matters. The group’s attorneys represent contractors of all sizes, including more than 30 of the 200 largest government contractors in the United States. The firm’s government contracts work extends to a wide variety of industries that includes defense, aerospace, construction, engineering, information technology, consulting, energy, manufacturing, electronics, professional services, communications, and healthcare.

About Bradley
Bradley combines skilled legal counsel with exceptional client service and unwavering integrity to assist a diverse range of corporate and individual clients in achieving their business goals. With offices in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, the firm’s nearly 550 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including banking and financial services, construction, energy, healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, real estate, and technology, among many others.

Allison Miller, a seasoned and well recognized corporate lawyer with wide-ranging experience in all aspects of corporate law and restructuring and special situations transactions, has joined Stroock’s national Financial Restructuring Group as a partner in the New York office.

Miller has spent nearly two decades advising companies, boards, investment funds and other investors regarding the unique and complex legal issues raised by distressed and special situations transactions. She also has significant experience advising boards and special committees as outside general counsel for companies assessing and moving through liability management exercises and advising creditors as part of the same process, including in their post-reorganization role as owners of reorganized companies.

Miller was the leading transactional attorney on a number of recent landmark restructurings, including Sears, Avaya, iHeart Communications, SunEdison, American Tire Distributors and Seadrill. She is also listed as a 2019 “Notable Practitioner” in restructuring in the IFLR1000 legal directory.

Miller joins Stroock from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where she was also a partner.

Harrity & Harrity, LLP, a boutique IP firm specializing in patent preparation and prosecution, is taking action to help those who have been affected by the severe outbreak of COVID-19. While the firm says it is fortunate to be in an industry that is minimally impacted by the devastation of the virus, it recognizes all of those who have lost their jobs, shuttered their businesses, and/or are struggling to make ends meet during this period of uncertainty.

“Look, we are blessed to be in an industry where many, if not most, make six or seven figures. Most lawyers will make it through this pandemic relatively unscathed,” said John Harrity, Managing Partner. “We are in an unprecedented time, with a virus that is spreading throughout the world at an exponential rate and the global economy being devastated. This is a great opportunity for our legal industry to act.”

The government’s stimulus package is certainly a step in the right direction to help those that have been financially impacted by the coronavirus, but it is clear that more needs to be done. Accordingly, John said his firm has made the decision to temporarily reallocate its giving back initiative, Harrity 4 Charity, to help those suffering from the many adverse effects of COVID-19.

“As a result of the current pandemic, we have decided to pause our contributions to our partner charities and instead get our Harrity 4 Charity dollars out into the communities to help people who have been financially impacted by the coronavirus,” stated John.

Currently, the firm commits 5 percent of its profits to four charity organizations. Impressively, every one of the firm’s 53 employees also donates a portion of their paychecks to the Harrity 4 Charity non-profits. While these charities are still incredibly important to the firm, the current economic climate calls for immediate attention. Suggestions and nominations of where to donate the Harrity 4 Charity dollars have flooded in from the firm’s employees, many with heartfelt accounts of families that they know personally who are struggling to get by.

While Harrity & Harrity has not yet announced the recipients of the COVID-19 relief fund, the initiative will focus on helping families and individuals who have been laid off or lost their jobs, single parents or families struggling to provide for their children as a result of COVID-19, and those with underlying health conditions that prevent them from obtaining household essentials on their own.

The firm additionally plans on establishing restaurant-run food banks throughout the nation with the goal of helping businesses who are suffering from a lack of customers, while providing free meals to people who cannot afford them. Harrity 4 Charity will purchase meals from local restaurants and donate the food to those in need.

John hopes these programs will not only aid those suffering from the effects of the outbreak, but inspire others, specifically in less impacted industries like the legal field, to act.

“If you are in the position to, please also consider donating to one of the many organizations currently supporting COVID-19 relief, or offering to help someone you know in need,” John urges.

About Harrity 4 Charity
Harrity 4 Charity represents a partnering of law firm Harrity & Harrity, LLP, with charities that are near and dear to our hearts. Harrity pledges to give five percent of profits to partner charities and all Harrity employees pledge to donate a portion of their paychecks. Harrity & Harrity is a patent preparation and prosecution firm specializing in the electrical and mechanical technology areas and is considered a Go-To Firm for the Patent 300®. Our clients have come to trust in our high-quality work, experienced people, industry leading innovation, and outstanding service. For more information, visit harrityllp.com.

Immersive technologies are moving beyond entertainment applications and are on track to gain mainstream acceptance in a range of areas including healthcare and remote workforce training, according to the Fourth Annual Augmented and Virtual Reality Survey conducted early this year by Perkins Coie, leading industry group, the XR Association, and industry venture capital firm, Boost VC.

Results of the survey signal an upward tick in market confidence, lower costs for consumers, expanded enterprise applications, and mainstream acceptance for immersive, XR technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Furthermore, respondents are bullish about expanding avenues for monetization.

The survey of nearly 200 professionals representing startups, enterprise technology firms, and investors indicated boom times ahead for the industry. While immersive technology’s strength in gaming and entertainment will no doubt continue, survey respondents are excited about XR’s potential to spatially visualize data, prepare and practice for real-world scenarios, and conduct remote, real-time training and collaborations.

Expansion of smart city programs, led by cities in the United States. and Asia, and the rollout of 5G networks are also reasons for optimism in the eyes of respondents. Nearly 40% expect immersive technology to be mainstream in the next two years, and more than three in four say that will happen within five years.

Though this vision is on track with results from the previous three surveys, respondents still acknowledge that obstacles remain before full adoption. Nearly half (46%) say lack of an established market is a barrier to funding. Making devices smaller, sleeker, more fashionable, and more comfortable are improvements that respondents said will most impact consumer adoption.

Confidence in Growing Monetization

In one of the survey’s biggest findings, respondents will increasingly seek to diversify monetization strategies and expand revenue channels for immersive technology compared with 2019 levels. The fact that monetization channels across the board—including sales of subscriptions (48% to 61%), in-app purchases (41% to 51%), product placement (30% to 47%), and advertising (39% to 46%)—saw significant increases above 2019 levels signals growing industry strength.

Compared to previous years’ surveys, 2020 respondents expect to increasingly pursue sales of products or subscriptions, in-app purchases, product placements, advertising, and events. Across each category, the percentage of respondents indicating they are currently monetizing or plan to do so in 2020 increased by an average of 13% over 2019 responses, with some revenue channels, like product placement and live events, jumping 17%. These increases in the span of a single year are dramatic and indicate a business sector coming into its own and a maturing, loyal consumer base that is more willing to accept such revenue models.

Spotlight on Healthcare and Workforce Development Sectors

Healthcare is the sector garnering the most attention, investment, and interest. When asked which sectors would be most disrupted outside of entertainment in the next 12 months, 38% ranked healthcare first, followed by education (28%), workforce development (24%), and manufacturing (21%).

The global AR/VR market in the healthcare industry is expected to grow quickly in the next few years, partly driven by an increasingly large array of immersive technology applications, like simulated surgical training for doctors and nurses, palliative hospice care, pain management, and 3D visualization of diseases at the molecular level.

Across a range of industries, respondents expect immersive technology to increasingly improve day-to-day operations, enhance efficiency, and improve outcomes. Seven out of ten survey respondents said businesses will focus on workforce training and development when it comes to immersive technology implementation within the next 12 months. A possible reason for this is that the ROI of the upfront investment, payback period, and resulting impact to the bottom line are easily quantifiable.

Of note, the Fourth Annual AR/VR Survey was conducted at the outset of the coronavirus outbreak, before the pandemic gripped the global community. The use of immersive technologies to provide critical health care and remote work options may become even more important for companies in the weeks and months ahead.

US, Asia Lead in Smart City Development

Smart cities are generally defined as places where new technologies like cloud computing, advanced analytics, and blockchain are deployed to improve the delivery of services and quality of life. Immersive technologies are increasingly becoming a part of the urban landscape in many of these pioneering municipalities around the world.

When asked which were leading the way, survey respondents chose a cluster of U.S. cities and Asian regional hubs. Some were more obvious like New York City, which 29% of respondents selected. However, size wasn’t the only reason for a higher ranking. While Austin, Texas, is only the 11th largest city in the country, it’s a burgeoning hub of technology, and therefore ranked second at 28%. Only one European city, Barcelona, cracked the top 10.

Remaining Questions on Legal Issues and Market Readiness

In the 2019 survey, 61% of respondents cited consumer privacy and data security as the top legal risks for developing immersive technology applications and content. This year, that percentage dropped to 49%, which likely stems from companies’ decisions to proactively address and update privacy policies and disclosures regarding consumer data. In fact, more than half (54%) said they were doing so this year, compared with 47% in 2019. This could be driven by new regulatory schemes around the world.

Historically in times of global crisis, technological progress tends to leap forward. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic when social distancing is the priority of the day, immersive technologies are poised to accelerate development and mainstream adoption.

“New York City-based FinTech Carver Edison, has announced the appointment of Gregory Barton as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and General Counsel. Barton brings in more than 25 years of experience in legal, operational and financial to the newly created position, and will support the continued growth for the company,” reports Pavithra R in IBS Intelligence’s News.

Most recently, Barton served as Chief Legal Officer (CLO) and prior to that as Chief Operating Officer (COO), of Wisdom Tree Investments, Inc. a leading ETF sponsor.

Before joining Wisdom Tree Investments, Barton served as Executive Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary of TheStreet, Inc., co-founded by Jim Cramer. He initiated his career as Associate in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the Claremont McKenna College.

Read the article.

Buchalter is pleased to welcome Bradley Hoff as Chair of the firm’s Insurance Coverage Practice Group. Mr. Hoff, who is based in Seattle, joins from Foster Garvey PC.

Hoff has 25 years of experience representing insurance policyholders, including litigating and negotiating the resolution of disputes arising under third-party policies such as general liability, employment practices liability, pollution liability, directors & officers liability and errors & omissions/professional liability policies. He also has litigated many first-party policies such as commercial property, condominium, apartment, homeowners, business interruption and employee dishonesty/theft policies. Additionally, he counsels clients regarding risk management.

Outside of his practice, Hoff serves on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Education, Board of Commissioners for the Seattle Sports Commission, and is a member of the of 101 Club (Washington Athletic Club).

Hoff earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude, and his B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Washington, cum laude.

“In April 2019, a federal jury found seven defendants associated with the Forest Park Medical Center (FPMC) in Dallas, Texas guilty on charges of conspiring to pay or receive health care bribes. The defendants in United States v. Beauchamp were convicted of collecting over $200 million dollars in a kickback scheme under which doctors were paid to refer patients to FPMC,” reports Alan J. Bozer and Joshua Glasgow in Phillips Lytle’s articles.

“Prosecution of this case was in many ways unsurprising. In 2018 alone, the federal government prosecuted more than 30 health care fraud cases yielding over $2.5 billion dollars in settlements and fines. The Beauchamp case is notable, however, because of the particular charges filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ).”

“In addition to alleging violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute … the government charged several defendants with violating the Travel Act of 1961 … an anti-racketeering statute that is rarely used in health care fraud cases. This novel use of the Travel Act may foreshadow a new government enforcement strategy that could broaden the scope of liability for uninformed physicians and health care administrators across the United States.”

Read the article.

“A federal district court in Massachusetts recently ordered Minneapolis based Coloplast to pay over $760,000 to Plaintiff, Amy Lestage, for retaliating against her after she and others filed a whistleblower complaint against the company,” reports Jolena Jeffrey in Katz, Marshall and Banks’ Whistleblower Law Blog.

“In December 2011, pharmaceutical whistleblower, Lestage, along with two former Coloplast employees filed a False Claims Act (FCA) qui tam action against the company, Byram Healthcare, and other large distributors of medical devices and services related to medical conditions and surgeries such as incontinence and ostomy.  The qui tam action alleged that Coloplast and some of its distributors engaged in an illegal kickback scheme to inflate their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements and thereby defraud the federal government.  The qui tam action was unsealed on November 20, 2014, and the names of the relators, including Lestage, became public knowledge.”

Read the article.

“Generally speaking, a court does not have the discretion to extend a statute of limitations.  A court can, however, consistent with its inherent equitable powers, preclude a defendant from asserting a statute of limitations defense where the defendant’s own intentional misconduct prevented the plaintiff from timely filing suit,” discusses Paige Bartholomew in Farrell Fritz’s blog.

“This equitable doctrine, known as equitable estoppel – or, “equitable tolling” – is consistent with the principle that a wrongdoer should not be able to benefit from his own wrong, and is often raised by a plaintiff in response to a statute of limitations defense.  But, as recently illustrated by the Suffolk County Commercial Division in Shoreham Hills, LLC v Sagaponack Dream House, LLC … its application is rare, and “estopping” a defendant from asserting a statute of limitations defense where it is otherwise appropriate is no simple feat.”

Read the article.

Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC is pleased to announce the growth of its Wilmington office with the addition of Sally J. Daugherty as senior counsel in the Commercial Litigation, Construction and Labor & Employment Groups, Stephen A. Venzie as senior counsel in the Construction Group, and Brionna L. Denby as an associate in the Government Law & Regulatory Affairs, Internal Investigations, Title IX, and Scientific Misconduct Groups.

About Sally J. Daugherty

Daugherty, a seasoned litigator, represents small and medium-sized businesses in a variety of industries in business disputes, employment and labor matters, finance and securitization, and business best practices. She brings more than three decades of experience representing businesses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, and her clients come from a wide range of industries, including construction, manufacturing, real estate and development, hospitality, and technology.

In addition, Daugherty has significant experience handling complex cases from inception through trials and appeals in state and federal courts in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Penn State Dickinson Law, and her B.S. from Elizabethtown College, and is licensed to practice in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. Prior to joining Cohen, Seglias, Daugherty was the managing attorney for the Delaware office of Salmon, Ricchezza, Singer & Turchi, LLP.

About Stephen A. Venzie

As an experienced construction litigator, Venzie counsels public and private owners, engineers, general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, suppliers, and sureties through all stages of public, private, and federal projects. He represents clients on projects such as commercial and retail buildings, casinos, libraries, schools and universities, student housing, restaurants, condominiums, courthouses, airports, rail lines, hospitals, roads, sewers, wastewater treatment plants, fire stations, process piping plants, and military-owned facilities.

Further, Venzie assists clients through the various disputes that can occur on a construction project. When a dispute is not resolved during the course of the project, he represents clients in the prosecution and defense of claims in all phases of post-completion litigation in both federal and state court.

In addition to his construction litigation practice, Venzie counsels clients through ancillary commercial disputes and issues such as shareholder redemption and operating agreement disputes, non-compete clauses, employee wage disputes, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) levies, and corporate formation and dissolution.

Prior to joining Cohen Seglias, Venzie served as the managing attorney for Venzie, Phillips & Warshawer’s Delaware office and its New Jersey practice. He earned his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin, and is licensed to practice in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

About Brionna L. Denby

Denby counsels corporations, educational institutions, non-profit groups, and other entities that are faced with allegations of wrongdoing. Before joining Cohen Seglias, Denby served as a Deputy Attorney General for the Delaware Department of Justice in the Civil Division, Defensive Litigation Unit, and in the Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust. As a Deputy Attorney General, she handled complex, long term investigations into government corruption, financial fraud, voter fraud, and campaign finance violations from the initial allegation through resolution.

Denby also served as a trust compliance officer for a large financial services company where she managed legal and regulatory compliance of various trust business lines, operations, and sales groups. She earned her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law and her B.A. from Spelman College, and is licensed to practice in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York.

A native of Wilmington, Denby is active in the community and serves in various leadership roles, including as a trustee for the Delaware Historical Society and Vice President of the Delaware Barristers Association.

Guess what? If you answered “yes,” then I have really good news for you (and if you answered “no,” don’t worry, I can help you too!).

If you are using spreadsheets for contract management (in other words to capture and track all your contracts) then you can transform that data into a dynamic and modern contract management system in a matter of minutes. I’m not kidding.

We recently hosted a webinar on this very topic where Contract Logix Solution Engineer Justin Perkins walked through a real-world example of how this process works using our data-driven contract management software. It’s an extremely easy, fast, and intuitive way to take that next step in your digital contract transformation.

Below are a few highlights of how this 3-step process works. For more detail, you can watch the full webinar here.

Set Up Your Spreadsheet
First, figure out what information is important to your business when it comes to contracts. Again, if you already have a spreadsheet that tracks your agreements then chances you already have this information. In fact, it’s probably the labels you use for your column headers. I’m talking about things like contract types, organizations, contacts, execution dates, renewal dates, contract owners, terms, etc. You can also put links to wherever the contracts and related documents exist like a shared folder or hard drive.

The best part is this list doesn’t have to be exhaustive or 100%. It’s very easy to add additional information later or make changes directly in the software. The important thing is to capture what you can in the spreadsheet so that you have a starting point but don’t overthink or overcomplicate it.

Import the Spreadsheet into Contract Logix
Now comes the fun part! With just a few clicks of a mouse you can import your spreadsheet and all of the information in it into our contract management software. The software will automatically and intelligently structure that information for you in the system. Your contract types like NDA and MSA will be established. Your contact information will be populated. All the relevant contract-related dates are captured. All your actual contracts and other documents are indexed and FULLY SEARCHABLE using our OCR technology. And voila’, you now have a dynamic and centralized repository of all your contracts.

You can see upcoming expirations, search the data by any relationship such as contract, contact, organization, document, etc., and begin using all the high-impact features of a modern contract management software solution. Which brings me to third part.

Begin Leveraging Your Data for Actionable Insights
Now that all your contract documents and data are centralized you can really start to reap the business benefits of using a true contract lifecycle management solution. You can set up alerts, tasks, and reminders so that you never miss another obligation, date, or milestone. You can regulate access and better secure your contractual information by leveraging role-based and feature-based permissions. You can conduct simple or advanced text searches to instantly find any information you need about your contracts. You see the real-time stage and status of all your agreements via colorful progress bars. And you can run insightful and visual reports and dashboards to monitor and optimize the performance of your agreements. You can even automate contract workflows to shorten cycles and ensure compliance. And guess what, those are just a few of the many benefits you’ll be able to experience.

Takeaway
If you are currently using spreadsheets for contract management then you can easily convert that information into a modern, automated, and streamlined contract management solution. This means that you can begin realizing significant business benefits such as never again missing an important contract date or term. You’ll also be able to gain actionable insights about your contracts to further mitigate risk and uncover opportunity.

As we all work through this unprecedented time, Onit is prioritizing ways to help ease the strain of such dramatic business and social change. To that end, Onit is offering free business continuity Apps to help organizations better cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These are designed to address three key areas: managing a remote workforce, overseeing business changes and mitigating company risk.

Watch this recording to:

• Learn more about available and planned workflows
• Understand how your teams inside and outside the legal department can leverage them
• Hear about Onit’s new Lean Into LegalOps program, launched in response to our new digital reality

To access the recording, visit Onit.

Want more? Onit’s comprehensive thought leadership initiative, Lean Into LegalOps, offers legal and business professionals an expanded toolkit with masterclasses, customer case studies and relevant content such as white papers, podcasts, and webinars. Learn more about Lean Into LegalOps and to join the community of remote learning and collaboration.