As local governments seek to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), states, counties and cities have issued executive orders, recommendations and mandatory restrictions that limit business operations and public gatherings. Specific examples appear below. These pronouncements are constantly changing and subject to various, sometimes conflicting “clarifications." In deciding whether your business should close, you should check the following: • Nature of the business: Restaurants and entertainment venues are getting the lion’s share of regulatory attention. • Essential vs. nonessential:...

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With more than 60.000 Europeans infected and European stocks down 30% this year, European and G7 leaders spent the past week in crisis mode imposing drastic and unprecedented measures aimed at containing and slowing the spread of the virus. For the first time since its establishment, countries in the EU’s Schengen area began closing their borders over the weekend to personal travel to tackle further cross-border spread and prevent cross-border shopping for stockpiling. While borders remained open for freight transport,...

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As a crisis communications specialist, I have been talking with nonprofit organizations in the past few days about how to communicate with their constituents in these challenging times. It is a tightrope walk to let your supporters know that you need help without looking like you’re capitalizing on the situation or being insensitive to the economic hardships that many Americans and people around the world are experiencing. Yesterday, I received an email from a beloved nonprofit that I have been...

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Just after midnight on March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6201, the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” as a broad response to many of the challenges caused by the current and impending spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 (“coronavirus”). H.R. 6201 has eight provisions intended to assist people, and free up the federal government resources to do so, during the public health emergency caused by coronavirus. This GT Alert addresses two of the...

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As additional countries — including the U.S. — close their borders to limit the spread of COVID-19 across country lines, employers in the U.S. and abroad are quickly needing to shift gears as complications arise from limitations on business travel, work visas and other immigration issues. Below we have outlined critical immigration issues employers and their foreign national employees are grappling with in light of the spread of COVID-19, known as the coronavirus, in the U.S. and around the...

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Holland & Knight has established a COVID-19 Response Team to help clients respond to a variety of business and legal issues they may be facing related to the disease. As part of this initiative, the firm has created a centralized hub on its website that includes a number of alerts, blogs and other original content addressing the issues affecting both small and large companies, as well as information on upcoming webinars and programming that may be of value to clients. Holland &...

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Europe's Economic response to Coronavirus steps up a gear On Thursday the European Central Bank announced a monetary policy stimulus package in an attempt to shield the eurozone from the economic damage caused by the Coronavirus.  As countries and regions close borders and impose travel restrictions on their citizens, economists are predicting the eurozone is about the suffer its most serious economic shock since the 2008 financial crisis.  Keep reading Europe presents strategies for a Green and Industrial economy Despite the Europe-wide...

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Jack Schwager’s interviews with top traders highlights their decision-making processes - but how could RavenPack data have added value, if any? Market Wizards is considered a set text for anyone who wants to be a financial trader. Written by a futures analyst, Jack Schwager, it is comprised of 16 interviews with some of the world’s most successful traders, including Richard Dennis (of ‘turtle trader’ fame), Paul Tudor Jones, and Ed Seykota. The book’s value rests on its unique access to the...

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Tensions in Brussels as Brexit negotiations commence The first round of talks on the future relationship between the UK and the EU began formally in Brussels this week, with UK chief Brexit negotiator David Frost meeting with his EU counterpart Michel Barnier on Monday. The European Commission and the UK government have agreed on a relatively intensive calendar of negotiations over the coming months, with talks taking place every two to three weeks, alternating the location between Brussels and London....

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RPJ Associate Elizabeth V. Stork practices in the fields of employment and labor, litigation, arbitration, mediation and dispute resolution. Ms. Stork has represented clients in matters involving employment counseling, labor issues, misclassification and other wage and hour claims, with particular expertise in class actions. She is a member of the firm's best practices training team, assisting our clients in matters involving employment discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and providing advice to companies and individuals concerning employment and separation agreements, handbooks and other employment materials. We...

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