Baker McKenzie and Osborne Clarke have scrapped partner conferences in response to the growing COVID-19 crisis.

Baker McKenzie has cancelled its EMEA partners meeting to protect partners and clients, a spokesperson at the firm told Law.com International.

The meeting was set to take place in Budapest, Hungary, at the end of March. "We are very serious about protecting the health of all our employees and our clients as well as their families," the spokesperson said.

Last month, the firm closed its London officer after an employee reported being ill after returning from Italy, the firm later reopened after they tested negative for the virus.

Meanwhile, Osborne Clarke has also moved to cancel its partner conference which was scheduled to take place at the end of March. The firm had previously instructed its international partners not to attend the event in the U.K. over coronavirus fears.

In a statement, an Osborne Clarke spokesperson said: "Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, bringing together 270 partners from 26 locations would present an unnecessary risk to the health and well-being of our employees, clients, suppliers and local communities.

"We would like to thank everybody who has worked so hard on the planning and logistics of this year's event. We are hoping to reschedule the conference for the autumn."

The firms are several to cancel conferences. Linklaters, Baker Botts and Latham & Watkins have all cancelled their annual partner retreats.

Meanwhile other law firms in continental Europe are also taking to protective measures. In Germany, Hengeler Mueller is instructing its employees to refrain from unnecessary travel, according to a spokesman.

Earlier this month, a partner at the Vienna-based firm Wolf Theiss fell ill with COVID-19, while three more employees have tested positive for coronavirus.

As the virus spreads across Europe, law firms are taking precautions to protect both their clients and employees. While Germany has not issued any travel restrictions, federal states including Bavaria, Thuringia, Hamburg and Berlin have prohibited gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that the coronavirus might infect up to 70% of the country's inhabitants. Germany has reported 1,296 cases of COVID-19 as of March 10, according to the Robert Koch Institute for Disease Control.

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