07 Apr COVID, Employee’s Rights, Civic Duty
Welcome to the Newsletter
Rana Law Group Newsletter
In this issue:
- COVID Impact on Law Office
- What are an Employee’s Rights During COVID-19?
- Civic Duty – Voting & Jury Duty
COVID-19 Impact on Office
We hope you and your family are staying safe. So far, we are all healthy and working remotely, with Tarun going into the office occasionally to check mail. So everyone stays safe, we have been holding client meetings via video conferencing and phone and signing up new clients via mail or digital signature. We are using this time to catch up on everyone’s files and get ahead since courtrooms, law offices and most medical providers are closed. We are still here for you and, if you need anything or have any questions, please reach out to us.
For clients who are still treating, only go to the doctor if it is safe. Ultimately, however, we prefer you avoid going out and stay at home. If you are done treating and we are gathering your medical records, we submitted all the requests and started receiving some records from facilities who are able to work remotely, but many are closed. For cases in litigation, court hearings and trials have been put on hold until we can all get through this. We will continue to monitor all closures and deadlines.
Meanwhile, we are also getting accustomed to our new work environments.
(On the left) From Tarun: The little monster is our cat Maggie who I typically feed once a day when I get home from work. She associates me with her feeding time so, if I work from home, she is my little shadow to remind me she is ready to be fed. Eventually, I give in and feed her, just to get her to go sleep elsewhere. Yes, I know, this is negative reinforcement but I have to be tactical since I am trapped in the house with her and the wife!
(On the right) From Sarah: This is Figaro Walker, Attorney-at-Claw! He is thoroughly displeased with my office attire (my comfy clothes) and extremely disappointed in my lack of treats. He is also unimpressed with having to share his work space/sun bathing area with me and is contemplating if he will have to take disciplinary action if I do not get my act together soon!
What are an Employee’s Rights During COVID-19?
While we do not handle employment related matters, we wanted to provide some general information since people have been calling about these issues. Missouri is an at-will employment state, which means an employee can quit anytime and an employer can fire an employee anytime (as long as it does not violate the law). If your employer lets you go or furloughs you during this time, you are eligible for unemployment through the state. Click on this link for more information about Missouri unemployment. Some employers are also cutting hours or lowering wages in an attempt to avoid layoffs. If you have any questions about situations that come up with your job, please contact us and we will do our best to provide any information we know and/or put you in touch with someone who can help.
Civic Duty – Voting & Jury Duty
March was a big month for civic duty. On March 10, I voted in the primary and then on March 11, I showed up for jury duty in St. Louis County. Alas, it was not meant to be this time because, fortunately and unfortunately, they did not need any jurors and I was sent home. I was looking forward to experiencing what it is like on the other side of the process since I primarily handle jury trials. Of course, this was right before COVID-19 started shutting everything down and all court hearings and jury trials have since been cancelled.
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