CIANJ Commerce Magazine September 2020 Live | Page 54

■ Annual Best Practices Guide
Continued From Page 50
LAW
Chiesa Shahinian &
Giantomasi PC
By Daniel A. Schwartz, Esq.,
Managing Member
Adapting activities and initiatives
that were central to our
business practices prior to the
pandemic into this new normal has been critical
to ensuring our continuity. Since March, when
employees were promptly dispatched from the
office and into a remote work environment
for their safety, we have gathered weekly for
informative, lighthearted and reassuring virtual
firmwide town hall meetings led by me and
other members of CSG’s Executive Committee.
These discussions are supplemented by regular,
virtual meetings at the leadership, practice
group, committee and administrative levels.
This continuous communication helps keep all
personnel connected, informed and in collaboration.
Additionally, CSG and its employees
have continued focusing on giving back to our
community by creating successful fundraisers
in support of the New Jersey Institute for Social
Justice and RWJBarnabas Health’s Healthcare
Heroes—a testament to the continuity of our
shared values, vision and engagement despite
the physical distance from each other.
Cole Schotz P.C.
By Warren A. Usatine, Esq.,
Co-Managing Shareholder
Our culture and technology
have enabled us to acclimate
very well. Before COVID‐19,
we invested heavily in technology,
allowing quick transition into a virtual
law firm as the pandemic took root. To some
extent, we’ve become even more efficient and
connected. Our departments “meet” more
regularly to share lessons learned in this
challenging environment. Our people have
elevated their game. Attorneys have provided
volumes of timely and relevant educational
content, and all personnel have worked tirelessly
to guide and comfort clients during
these uncertain times. Additionally, we have
leveraged firm relationships to assist clients
with business needs whenever possible. Our
collaborative culture and multi-disciplinary
expertise has led to opportunities that may
escape other firms. For example, we have an exceptionally
robust restructuring practice and,
with COVID‐19’s negative economic impact,
this practice has seen matter intake skyrocket.
We have seamlessly integrated talent from other
practices to absorb the additional caseload.
Gibbons P.C.
By Patrick C. Dunican Jr., Esq.,
Chairman and
Managing Director
Gibbons has thrived through
this initial phase of the
COVID‐19 crisis—so far avoiding
layoffs and pay cuts, providing seamless client
service, even hiring—because we foresaw the
wisdom of comprehensive emergency planning,
resulting in a well-prepared firm smoothly managing
unprecedented business conditions. After
a fire damaged the firm’s brand-new headquarters
in 2007, I strategized an organization-wide
reinforcement of emergency procedures and
invested in facilities, technologies and programs
to prepare for future crises—for example, expanding
the purchase, testing and updating of
laptops and remote access software licenses and
ensuring all personnel responsible for critical
operations had access to one or the other. Combined
with my longstanding support of custom,
flexible schedules and self-starting, independent
work habits, this strategy eased the way to an
entirely remote workforce. While COVID‐19
remains an active hazard, we are now well-positioned
to withstand this and future crises with
minimal interruption to stellar client service.
LAW
Harwood Lloyd, LLC
By David M. Repetto, Esq.,
Co-Managing Partner
In February, before the impact
of COVID‐19 was felt in New
Jersey, a friend and trusted advisor
said that we would soon
face a crisis and “we should not waste the
opportunities that will come with it.” That is
not to say that things have been easy or that
managing Harwood Lloyd presented fewer
challenges than usual. As every manager of a
professional services firm knows, we had our
share of challenges, starting with insuring
the health and safety of our employees. Our
practice was impacted in almost every way,
and to meet the challenges we looked at every
aspect of how we provide legal services. The
changes made will be lasting ones, and we will
constantly examine how to best deliver quality
legal services whether working remotely,
utilizing our technology or embracing video
depositions, meetings and conferences—all of
which created greater efficiencies and savings
for our clients.
McCarter & English, LLP
By Joe Boccassini, Esq.,
Firmwide Managing Partner
Collaboration and innovation
are among the hallmarks of
our culture and were integral
to our ability to transition to
working remotely. Our primary objectives
were protecting the health and well-being of
our colleagues, while ensuring that we continued
to serve our clients without disruption,
and to the standard of excellence they expect
from our firm. We again relied on our collaboration
and innovation to hold a historic
summer associate program. We understood
early on that frequent and effective communication
is central to our ability to overcome
the current challenges, and so we have been
proactive—in the way we have reached out to
our clients, and in the manner in which we
have maintained open lines of communication
across the firm. I am proud of how the
McCarter family has come together and done
what we do best—supporting our clients and
each other throughout these incredibly challenging
times.
Meyner and Landis LLP
By David B. Grantz, Esq.,
Partner
Meyner and Landis implemented
remote working protocols
for all employees, effective
March 18. M&L provided
all attorneys and staff with computers, printers,
scanners and necessary supplies to conduct
business operations remotely. To their
credit, our attorneys and staff transitioned
seamlessly and client services have met our
usual high standards. Our attorneys pride
themselves on remaining highly responsive
to client needs and even more so while working
remotely. M&L has begun its gradual, yet
measured transition back to the office, with
a significantly reduced number of attorneys
and staff working from the office daily, with
the goal of an eventual return to the office at
least one day per week, rotating small groups
of attorneys and staff that began August 17.
The firm has implemented COVID‐19 safety
protocols and has been providing all employees
with appropriate PPE to maintain a safe
and healthy work environment.
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