COVID-19 Legal Resources & Response Team

Contacts: Robert Young, Chelsie Vokes

• CDC Relaxes COVID-19 Safety Recommendations in Updated Guidance (August 16, 2022)
• EEOC Issues Updated COVID-19 Workplace Guidance (July 18, 2022)
• Employment Law Updates for Massachusetts and Rhode Island Employers (May 31, 2022)
• Department of Homeland Security Announces Extension of the Form I-9 Flexibilities Until October 31, 2022 (April 29, 2022)
• Department of Homeland Security Announces End to COVID-19 Temporary Policy for Expired List B Identity Documents (March 28, 2022)
• EEOC Issues Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Caregiver Discrimination (March 24, 2022)
• EEOC Issues Updated Guidance Regarding Religious Objections to COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements (March 9, 2022)
• Massachusetts Emergency Paid Sick Leave to End March 15 (March 3, 2022)
• City of Boston Lifts Mask Mandate, Effective March 5th (March 3, 2022)
• Webinar: 13th Annual Employment Law Update (February 1 & 3, 2022)
• OSHA Withdraws its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (January 27, 2022)
• Supreme Court Rules on COVID-19 Vaccine/Testing Requirements – Big Business Mandate Blocked, Health Care Mandate Revived (January 14, 2022)
• Updates Relating to OSHA’s Emergency Vaccination/Testing Requirements for Employers with 100 or More Employees and the CDC’s New Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines (January 3, 2022)
• The City of Boston, Rhode Island, and Connecticut Issue New Vaccine Policies Impacting Businesses & Employers (December 21, 2021)
• Sixth Circuit Breathes New Life into OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard Mandating Vaccination or Testing for Private Employers with 100 or More Employees (December 20, 2021)
• Massachusetts AG Releases Guidance for Employers Regarding Costs of COVID-19 Testing and Face Masks (December 17, 2021)
• EEOC Issues Guidance on COVID-19 and Disability Protections Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (December 15, 2021)
• Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate Temporarily Blocked Nationwide (December 9, 2021)
• Webinar – OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard: What Employers Must Know (November 12, 2021)
• OSHA Issues Emergency Temporary Standard Mandating Vaccination or Testing for Private Employers with 100 or More Employees (November 5, 2021)
• New CMS Regulations Mandating Vaccination of Health Care Facility Staff (November 5, 2021)
• Updated Employer Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates Issued by Both the EEOC and Safer Federal Workforce Task Force (October 27, 2021)
• A Busy Week – Massachusetts Extends Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Makes Changes to Paid Family and Medical Leave Contribution Rates and Benefits (October 4, 2021)
• Biden Administration Issues Guidance to Federal Contractors for Compliance with Vaccine Mandate (September 27, 2021)
• Biden Administration Announces New Vaccine Mandate for Employers (September 10, 2021)
• Masks Required in Certain Boston Workplaces Effective August 27, 2021 (August 26, 2021)
• 10 Things I know about … Employer vaccine mandates (August 16, 2021)
• Webinar: Un-Masking the Future: Reopening Post-COVID (June 15, 2021)
• How to counter the Shecession (June 7, 2021)
• New Law Mandates Paid COVID-19 Leave for Massachusetts Employees (June 1, 2021)
• Bob Young Featured in MetroWest Daily News’ “Can employers demand employees get vaccinated against COVID-19?” (May 24, 2021)
• Can Massachusetts Employers Offer Vaccination Incentives to Employees? (May 6, 2021)
• Can Massachusetts Employers Collect COVID-19 Vaccination Cards From Employees? (May 5, 2021)
• Massachusetts Employers Face Hike In Q1 Unemployment Tax Rates (May 4, 2021)
• Webinar: COVID-19 + Working Women: How to Reverse the Shecession (April 20, 2021)
• Voluntary FFCRA Leave Expanded and Extended Through September 2021 (March 18, 2021)
• OSHA Releases New Guidance for Employers (February 3, 2021)
• Tax Credits Available for Voluntary FFCRA Leave Granted Through March 2021 (January 25, 2021)
• Webinar: 12th Annual Employment Law Update (January 19 & 21, 2021)
• What do employees and employers in Massachusetts need to know about the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act? (January 5, 2021)
• EEOC Releases New Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Vaccinations For Employees (December 21, 2020)
• FFCRA Leave – What Employers Need to Know For The End of 2020 (December 9, 2020)
• Winter is Coming – Workplace Vaccine Mandates (November 16, 2020)
• New Mask Mandate Affords Employers a Right of Inquiry For Employees Who Ask For Exemption (November 5, 2020)
• New DOL Regulations Narrow The FFCRA’s “Health Care Provider” Exemption (September 15, 2020)
• Legal aspects of returning high-risk employees to work in Massachusetts (September 15, 2020)
• Broader state authorization, municipal flexibility needed to help businesses survive (June 8. 2020)
• Webinar: Reopening Your Business in the Age of Coronavirus (May 20, 2020)
• How Does My Offer of Work Affect My Employees’ Unemployment Claims? (May 18, 2020)
• Mandatory Self-Certification and Industry-Specific Guidance For Massachusetts Essential and Phase One Businesses (May 18, 2020)
• Massachusetts’ Four-Phase Reopening Plan and Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards: Here’s What You Need To Know (May 12, 2020)
• What Massachusetts Businesses Need to Know about Masks in the Workplace (May 7, 2020)
• Lockdown Breakthrough? Remote Fulfillment Guidelines Permit Partial Re-Opening of Retail Establishments (May 5, 2020)
• Is a Business Liable if an Employee or Customer Gets Sick? (April 30, 2020)
• CDC Releases Reopening Guidance (April 29, 2020)
• National Emergency Enables Tax-Free Employee Relief Fund (April 28, 2020)
• Webinar: HR Strategy: Contingency Planning During COVID-19 (April 30, 2020)
• EEOC Releases “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws” (April 24, 2020)
• IRS Moving Quickly to Help Employers Get Advanced Payments (April 8, 2020)
• CARES Act Temporary Rule for Paid Sick Leave and Expanded FMLA (April 6, 2020)
• Labor Conditions Tied To CARES Act Loans To Employers With 500 to 10,0000 Employees (April 5, 2020)
• Employee Documentation for FFCRA Leave – IRS Guidance (April 3, 2020)
• CARES Act Retirement Plans – What Employers Need to Know (April 2, 2020)
• Expanded Unemployment Benefits Through the Federal CARES Act (April 1, 2020)
• Webinar: Cybersecurity Threats and Employment Law in a Remote World (April 1, 2020)
• Webinar: Worcester Chamber HR Roundtable: Employment Legal Issues in a COVID-19 Remote World (March 30, 2020)
• Businesses face these urgent coronavirus legal issues (March 30, 2020)
• Health Insurance Enrollment Rules Eased Because of COVID-19 (March 25, 2020)
• New DOL Guidance Regarding COVID-19 and the Workplace (March 25, 2020)
• DHS Relaxes Form I-9 Verification Requirements for Remote Employers (March 23, 2020)
• New COVID-19 Paid Leave Laws – Here’s What You Need To Know (March 19, 2020)
• DUA Updates Website with COVID-19 Information (March 19, 2020)

Contacts: Rory Fazendeiro, Peter Martin, Aastha Sharma

• Webinar: COVID and Beyond: Nonprofit Innovation (August 24, 2021)
• How a Remote Workforce Changes State and Local Tax Requirements (May 26, 2021)
• What You Should Know About the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (May 13, 2021)
• Update on Revised DOR Income Tax Pandemic Regulations for Telecommuters (March 26, 2021)
• American Rescue Plan Act Extends Employee Retention Credit Through 2021 (March 18, 2021)
• Your Clients Could Be Getting a Jump Start (March 1, 2021)
• New PPP Funding Hits the Streets – A Primer on What Businesses Should Know (February 16, 2021)
• More Key Tax Provisions from the Consolidated Appropriations Act (January 21, 2021)
• Consolidated Appropriations Act Clarifies CARES Act Tax Measures and Adds New Provisions (January 19, 2021)
• Webinar: Paycheck Protection Program: What Businesses Need to Know (January 12, 2021)
• Uncertainty Ahead: Rethinking Business Tax Planning (December 21, 2020)
• PPP Update – Handling the Necessity Questionnaire for PPP Loans of $2m or More (December 9, 2020)
• Webinar: PPP Updates and Year End Tax & Financial Planning (December 1, 2020)
• IRS and Treasury Updated Guidance on Deductibility of Expenses Paid for with PPP Loan Proceeds (November 23, 2020)
• Part-Time Employees May Be Eligible for 401(k) Plans (November 4, 2020)
• Massachusetts Adopts Emergency Withholding Rules for Out-of-State Telecommuters During COVID-19 Pandemic (September 24, 2020)
• A Trap for the Unwary – IRS Denies Deductions for Expenses Paid with Forgiven PPP Loans (September 3, 2020)
• IRS issues guidance on Social Security tax deferral (September 1, 2020)
• Social Security Taxes Could Be Deferred for the Rest of 2020 (August 20, 2020)
• Campus Safety and COVID-19: Clery Act Requirements in 2020 (August 10, 2020)
• Further Changes to Paycheck Protection Program Necessary to Avoid Catastrophic Consequences at Forgiveness Stage (July 31, 2020)
• Main Street Lending Program – Expanded Assistance to Nonprofit Organizations (July 23, 2020)
• IRS Provides More Flexibility for Qualified Opportunity Funds in the Wake of COVID Crisis (June 22, 2020)
• Home Office Deductions During Coronavirus (June 15, 2020)
• PPP Flexibility Act of 2020 (June 9, 2020)
• Bowditch Legal Podcasts: Business Planning and Investment Changes Due to COVID-19 (June 8, 2020)
• First Look at the Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application (May 15, 2020)
• New Guidance on the PPP Necessity Certification Provides Automatic Safe Harbor for Borrowers with Loan Amounts Under $2 Million (May 14, 2020)
• Webinar:  Strategy for COVID-19 Financial Relief: Restructuring Your Business Loans (May 7, 2020)
• PPP Loan Safe Harbor Date Extended One Week to May 14 (May 6, 2020)
• PPP Loan Applicants Directed to Assess (or Reassess) the Necessity for Loan Funds; SBA Imposes May 7th Deadline to Return Loans for Borrowers that Cannot Meet the New Standard (May 4, 2020)
• A Checklist for Loan Forgiveness Under the Payroll Protection Program (April 21, 2020)
• New CMS Regulations: Harbingers of the New Normal? (April 10, 2020)
• CARES Act Business Tax Provisions (April 3, 2020)
• CARES Act Payroll Protection Loan Program – US Treasury Issues Updated Guidance (April 2, 2020)
• CARES Act Provisions Assisting Health Care Providers’ Response to the Pandemic (April 1, 2020)
• CARES Act – Small Business Administration’s Payroll Protection Loan Program Explained (March 31, 2020)
• Mass. Joins Fed – Personal Income Tax Filing Deadline Now July 15 (March 27, 2020)
• Key Provisions in the Proposed Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (March 25, 2020)
• What Massachusetts Tax Relief is Available During the Coronavirus Outbreak? (March 25, 2020)
• Expanded Medicare Telehealth Benefits During the Public Health Emergency (March 25, 2020)
• How to Close Restaurant and Retail Businesses During Coronavirus and Plan for a Successful Reopen (March 22, 2020)
• Financial Support for Qualifying Small Business and Non-Profits Impacted by the Coronavirus Outbreak (March 19, 2020)
• Tax Relief to Mitigate COVID-19 Economic Costs (March 19, 2020)

Contacts: Rory Fazendeiro

• Webinar: New Contracts – Pandemic Impact on Contract and Transaction Due Diligence (October 27, 2020)
• Webinar: Contract Review – Identifying Weaknesses, Strengths and Gray Areas to Get Ahead of Future Disruptions (October 20, 2020)
• “Did Your Contract Anticipate the Arrival of Coronavirus?” published on CFO (March 5, 2020)
• The Coronavirus and the Doctrine of Force Majeure – How to Anticipate the “Known Unknowns” (February 20, 2020)

Contacts: Timothy Van Dyck

• Webinar: A Brave New World: Corporate Policies & Procedures Post-COVID (April 15, 2021)
• Extending Liability Coverage By Providing Notice of Circumstances (May 7, 2020)
• As COVID-19 Surges, So Too Should the Use of Well-Crafted Contractual Arbitration Clauses (May 6, 2020)
• Webinar: Will Traditional Business Insurance Policies Apply to Claims Related to the Coronavirus? (April 7, 2020)
• Webinar: Deciphering Business Interruption Insurance in the COVID-19 Crisis (April 3, 2020)
• Will traditional business insurance policies apply to claims related to the Coronavirus? (March 19, 2020)

Contacts: Samantha McDonald

• Massachusetts’ New Economic Relief Bill – What Enabling Partnerships for Growth Means for Local Zoning (January 27, 2021)
• Massachusetts Commits $171MM for Programs to Help Tenants and Landlords Impacted by COVID-19 (November 17, 2020)
• Webinar: The Great Conversion: The Science of Repurposing (November 17, 2020)
• Webinar: An A/E/C Industry COVID-19 Roundtable (November 12, 2020)
• Massachusetts Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium Expires and is Replaced by a More Limited CDC Order (October 20, 2020)
• COVID-19 Legal Impacts Far-Reaching for RE (June 8, 2020)
• Municipal Support for Local Economies in a Public Health Crisis May Include Regulatory Flexibility (May 7, 2020)
• Webinar: Re-Opening Commercial Operations: Considerations for Property Owners and Business Tenants as Massachusetts Restarts in a COVID-19 World (May 7, 2020)
• MA Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development Issues Regulations and Guidance on COVID-19 Eviction Moratorium (April 30, 2020)
• Massachusetts Pauses Residential and Commercial Evictions and Residential Foreclosures During the COVID-19 State of Emergency (April 21, 2020)
• Massachusetts Enacts Bill Including Provisions to Address Real Estate Permitting Challenges Posed by COVID-19 (April 3, 2020)
• Massachusetts Updates Essential Services List – See What Can Continue and What Must Stop (April 1, 2020)
• Governor Baker Issues Executive Order Concerning State Permits (March 27, 2020)
• Construction Projects: Preparing for Slowdowns or Project Shutdowns (March 24, 2020)
• Construction Orders in Place for Massachusetts, Boston and Cambridge (March 23, 2020)

Contact: Katherine Dorval

• Virtual Notarization to End in Massachusetts on July 15, 2022 (May 31, 2022)
• Virtual Notarization Act Extended in Massachusetts (June 22, 2021)
• What Happens if I Die Without a Valid Will in Massachusetts? (May 12, 2021)
• COVID-19 Funeral Assistance From FEMA (April 20, 2021)
• Plan Ahead for Potential Estate and Gift Tax Changes (March 1, 2021)
• When to Take Advantage of a Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) (November 24, 2020)
• Webinar: Business Succession Planning in Tough Times: Know your Options (November 10, 2020)
• Webinar: Trust & Estate Planning in a Unique Year (October 14, 2020)
• Legal Considerations of Living Together in a Multi-Generational Home (October 13, 2020)
• Can I Withdraw Funds From My Retirement Account During COVID-19? (September 25, 2020)
• Gaining Access to Your College Student’s Records (August 31, 2020)
• Record Low Interest Rates Let You Have Your Cake and Eat It Too – Life Insurance, Investments & Intra-family Loans (August 12, 2020)
• Protecting Pets During the COVID-19 Pandemic (July 28, 2020)
• Bowditch Legal Podcasts: Overlooked Estate Planning Tools (June 22, 2020)
• Trust Funding: the Overlooked Estate Planning Tool (May 11, 2020)
• Virtual Notarization and Witnessing of Your Documents During COVID-19 Emergency (April 28, 2020)
• As I See It: Remote notarization would solve dilemma of signing a will during coronavirus crisis (April 13, 2020)
• Financial and Healthcare Decision-Making During a Crisis (April 10, 2020)
• The CARES Act Has Passed – Highlights for Individual Taxpayers (March 31, 2020)
• Planning for Incapacity: Identifying Authorized Health Care Agents for Incapacitated Patients (March 31, 2020)
• Proposed Emergency Notary Bill to Allow for Virtual Notarization (March 27, 2020)
• Coronavirus / COVID-19 and Estate Planning (March 13, 2020)

• The Impact of Recent Amendments to the United States Bankruptcy Code on Lenders (May 5, 2021)
• The COVID-19 Stimulus Bill and Pension Liability (May 5, 2021)
• ARPA Aid – What Cities and Towns Can Expect (May 3, 2021)
• Five Things to Know About PPP Loan Audits (April 20, 2021)
• How the Consolidated Appropriations Act helps companies in bankruptcy (March 18, 2021)
• Rent Abatement, PPP Loans (Maybe), and Other Bankruptcy Relief in the Appropriations Act (January 27, 2021)
• Webinar: How to Handle Small Business Bankruptcies (January 26, 2021)
• Delaying the Inevitable? Pier 1, Chuck E. Cheese, and Rent Abatement in Bankruptcy (December 21, 2020)
• Six Questions About Involuntary Bankruptcy (September 15, 2020)
• Getting Paid in Bankruptcy – Part IV, Employees (September 3, 2020)
• Getting Paid in Bankruptcy – Part III, Landlords, Leases, and Licenses (September 1, 2020)
• Getting Paid in Bankruptcy – Part II, Goods and Services (August 27, 2020)
• Getting Paid in Bankruptcy – Part I, Lender Claims (August 20, 2020)
• Webinar: 2020 Bankruptcy Bench Meets Bar: Part 2 (June 25, 2020)
• Understanding Landlord and Tenant Rights in Bankruptcy (May 28, 2020)
• Webinar: Lender Liability During COVID-19 (May 12, 2020)
• Paying the Rent in Bankruptcy – An Overview of Chapter 11 for Commercial Tenants and Their Landlords (May 5, 2020)
• Lender Liability During COVID-19 (April 29, 2020)
• Webinar: “1st Look” at the Impact of COVID-19 on Business Bankruptcy Practice (April 27, 2020)

Contact: Lynette Paczkowski

• When Divorced Parents Feud About Vaccinating Children (October 20, 2021)
• To vaccinate or not to vaccinate: What happens when parents can’t agree to vaccinate their child? (September 27, 2021)
• What Happens When Couples Can’t Agree on Vaccinating Their Child? (September 13, 2021)
• Love it or List it: What to do with the marital home in case of divorce (March 23, 2021)
• Tis’ the Season: Holiday Co-Parenting During a Pandemic (December 2, 2020)
• What’s Love Got to do With It: When Unmarried Couples Live Like Married Couples (November 23, 2020)
• What’s Fair in Love and War: Divorce in a Volatile Market (October 7, 2020)
• Keeping Your Business Viable in the Event of a Divorce (September 8, 2020)
• Preparing for a Divorce During COVID-19 (May 18, 2020)
• Your Best Foot Forward – How to Prepare for Virtual Court Hearings and DCF Visits (May 7, 2020)
• Divorcing During COVID-19 (May 4, 2020)
• Child Support in Times of Uncertainty (April 1, 2020)
• Co-Parenting During the COVID-19 Pandemic (March 30, 2020)