Thomson Reuters Legal SYNERGY2021: Contracts, Commuting, and COVID: Reimagining Law in the Workplace
It’s Day 2 of the Thomson Reuters Legal SYNERGY user conference, where legal professionals from the U.S., Canada, the UK and Europe are gathering virtually for product sessions and continuing legal education as well as opportunities to network with peers and hear from fascinating guests. Throughout the conference, Legal Current is sharing presenters’ SYNERGY session recaps.
Today’s guest post was written by László Serester, senior legal editor at Thomson Reuters, and Kate Bally, director of Practical Law Labor & Employment at Thomson Reuters, who presented the session, Contracts, commuting, and COVID: Reimagining law in the workplace. They share the top takeaways from their session.
The hurricane of COVID-19 has reshaped the landscape of labor and employment and commercial law. Remote work and health and safety protocols present new compliance obligations and litigation risks, while supply chain disruptions are impacting force majeure provisions, insurance claims, and general contract drafting.
In our SYNERGY session, we shared how Practical Law’s know-how resources – drafted during and in response to the pandemic – can help attorneys navigate these uncertain times. Newly created Standard Documents provide a great starting point during a time when on-point precedents did not exist, and charts and trackers can be invaluable for staying on top of rapidly changing developments during the pandemic.
Our session focused on best practices for managing the quickly evolving landscape in workplace law. Below are key takeaways from our session discussion.
- Tried and true supply chain practices, such as securing multiple sources of supply, remained relevant during the pandemic and will also help you be better prepared for the next crisis.
- Periodically review force majeure provisions to ensure they specify recent crises.
- Using an insurance coverage case tracker will help you get familiar with the types of arguments that insureds are using; this way you can present the best possible case for your clients when seeking insurance coverage.
- Negotiating allocation of supply clauses can help both suppliers and customers better deal with inventory shortages.
- Remote work won’t disappear overnight, and it’s important to do it right, contemplating all the risk factors.
- Safe reopening is a process and requires tracking legal developments, comprehensive planning, and thoughtful communication.
- Navigating the workplace challenges of employee vaccination requires top notch resources and keeping pace with evolving best practices.
To learn more about Legal SYNERGY2021, visit the U.S. conference site, Canada conference site, or Europe/U.K. conference site.
Watch Legal Current for more details about SYNERGY sessions, and follow @LegalCurrent for updates throughout SYNERGY.
