Message From the Issue Editor

Daniel A. Lev

The spread of the COVID-19 virus has affected people all over the world, and state and local governments are taking sweeping actions to halt the spread of the disease and mitigate the public health and economic impacts of the outbreak. While our government officials debate whether to extend or lift coronavirus-related restrictions affecting the economy, schools, government operations, public health, religious services, and travel, the short-term and lasting impact on the legal profession remains uncertain. In this issue, readers will be exposed to just some of the important legal and policy concerns and challenges that have emerged as legal professionals respond to the epidemic.

In Legal Ethics and the Coronavirus, Neil J Wertlieb, an ethics expert, co-chair of the CLA’s Ethics Committee, and long-standing contributor and advisor to the BLN, reminds us that even during this time of crisis, where the manner in which we live our daily lives and practice law has dramatically changed, the Rules of Professional Conduct have not been suspended. As a result, Neil reminds us of our ongoing duties of competence, supervision and delegation, and communication, and of the manner in which clients may be solicited.

In her article entitled With COVID-19 and the Nationwide Protests, the Time Is Ripe for Structural Change in American Business, Suzanne L. Weakley explores how the simultaneous occurrences of the coronavirus, nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, and the #BlackLivesMatter movement have impacted the American economy. Suzanne seeks to answer several important questions in light of these recent events, such as (a) should American businesses simply revert to the status quo ante, or should things change when the pandemic subsides, and (b) will the crisis serve as a wake-up call for business and government leaders to think, act, and invest for the common good and confront the structural obstacles that have inhibited inclusive economic growth for years.