Lawyer Monthly Magazine August 2020 Edition

As part of contingency planning when the pandemic hit, many of us phoned our insurance companies to understand how our businesses are protected. My team has been lucky that the work we do, contract lifecycle management, has, if anything, become more business critical during COVID-19. It was, however, reassuring to be reminded we had ‘business interruption’ insurance. It is hard to predict the impact COVID-19 could have on your business, so it is helpful to understand what any business interruption insurance includes. I’d strongly recommend phoning your insurer to understand what is included in your plan. This is as good-a-time as any to review your company’s insurance policy, consider what protection you need and have the relevant new policies drawn up. 1 COVID-19 has been a fast learning curve for many of us. From the practical challenge of moving from an office surrounded by colleagues and team members, to, in some cases, losing access to the specific tools and technologies critical for day-to-day work. For many working in corporate law, the pressure was amplified as the move to working from home coincided with a typically busy period – the end of Q1 or in some cases the financial year of trading. Added to that, most lawyers were faced with a series of COVID-19 related questions surrounding our work. A few months on, however, my colleagues and I have learned a lot about working as a corporate law team through a global pandemic and how we can be better prepared for future disruption. By Todd Smith General Counsel Icertis LESSONS LEARNED AS A GC THROUGH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Insurance