Morgan Lewis Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19, Offices Remain Open With Voluntary Remote Work Policy
The firm assured employees that the positive diagnosis does not require the shuttering of an office, per CDC guidelines.
March 16, 2020 at 02:54 PM
3 minute read
Offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in downtown Philadelphia. (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)
A Morgan, Lewis & Bockius employee in the firm's Philadelphia office has contracted COVID-19, the firm confirmed Monday.
The person, who the firm would not identify, had been in contact with a client who tested positive for COVID-19. The Morgan Lewis employee self-isolated last week after learning of the exposure then received confirmation of a positive diagnosis and has since showed little to no symptoms as the person isolates at home, a firm representative said.
The firm's offices, including its Philadelphia location, remain open, although the firm has instituted a voluntary work from home policy for the next two weeks starting March 16. A firm representative said the remote policy was unrelated to last week's positive diagnosis.
A firmwide voice-mail message sent late March 12 noted that CDC workplace guidelines do not recommend shuttering an office in the event that an employee contracts COVID-19. Regardless, firm employees were given the option to work from home with pay.
"The CDC has said that there is a low risk of transmission of the virus as a result of being in the same indoor environment as a person who has a confirmed and symptomatic case of the virus, even for a prolonged period," the voice mail said.
"That said, while 1701 Market will be open, we are giving everyone who works in that building the option to stay home tomorrow, Friday, as a paid day if they choose to do so, even though it's not necessary. The 1801 Market St. location will be open tomorrow," the voice mail continued.
The firm is also deep-cleaning its offices daily in accordance with CDC guidelines. In addition to cleaning, the CDC says that employers must inform employees of their possible exposure while maintaining confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The agency also adds that employees exposed to a co-worker with COVID-19 should conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.
Morgan Lewis is not the first firm to grapple with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis among its ranks. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan temporarily closed its New York office in early March after a firm partner tested positive for COVID-19. Last week, U.K. firm Taylor Wessing closed its London office after an employee tested positive. The firm plans to reopen the office on Wednesday.
Read More:
Taylor Wessing Confirms Positive Virus Case In London, Closes Office
The Coronavirus, This Recession and How Law Firms Need to Plan Now to Protect Their Business
Coronavirus and Teleworking—5 Considerations Before You Make the Move
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
'Further Investment in Power' Will Drive Big Law Business—But What About Clean Energy Projects?
6 minute read
Legal Departments Gripe About Outside Counsel but Rarely Talk to Them
4 minute read
As Profits Rise, Law Firms Likely to Make More AI Investments in 2025
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Arnold & Porter Matches Market Year-End Bonus, Requires Billable Threshold for Special Bonuses
- 2Advising 'Capital-Intensive Spaces' Fuels Corporate Practice Growth For Haynes and Boone
- 3Big Law’s Year—as Told in Commentaries
- 4Pa. Hospital Agrees to $16M Settlement Following High Schooler's Improper Discharge
- 5Connecticut Movers: Year-End Promotions, Hires and an Office Opening
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
