Amid the rapid progression of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the disruptions it has caused individuals and employers, Blalock Walters is here for you as the coronavirus and its aftermath unfold.
As clients are seeking advice on preparing and navigating their families, businesses and employees through coronavirus-related implications, our practice groups are providing ongoing updates and analysis for you. We will continue to produce highly responsive updates and resources and exemplary service to our clients during this time, and we will continue to be accessible for the needs of our clients in this challenging environment.
This page contains insights and resources from Blalock Walters attorneys that will help navigate you through COVID-19 and its legal aspects. This page will be updated regularly with additional resources as the situation develops.
LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW
OSHA Issues Emergency Temporary Standard Related to COVID-19 Vaccinations for 100 or More Employees
As expected, the U.S. Occupational and Safety Health Administration issued an emergency temporary standard (ETS) related to the COVID-19 vaccination and employees on November 4, 2021. The ETS requires employers with 100 or more employees to ensure the entire workforce...
read moreNew Administration, Pandemic Result in Big Changes That May Affect Your Business, Employees
While employment law is always developing, the combination of the White House administration change and Covid-19 during the past year has resulted in greater than normal changes in this area of law. Below are highlights of some of the recent developments for you to...
read moreEmployee-Related Revisions to CARES Act
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which became law on December 27, 2020, made changes to the employee retention tax credits available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act). Most notably: Extended federal unemployment...
read moreMeeting Client Legal Needs As COVID-19 Changes Our Lives
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges and changes to the way we all live and how we do business. As we continue to provide essential legal services, we have adapted to ensure our clients’ legal needs are met in a safe and timely manner. Our...
read moreAddressing Stressful Workforce Issues During COVID-19
The pandemic has created numerous challenges for employers, not the least of which include dealing with a workforce under tremendous stress related to the ongoing events and/or having to manage a remote workforce. Without a doubt, these issues impact productivity and...
read moreDepartment of Labor Expands Definition of Healthcare Providers to Related to Exemption from Paid Leave
On March 28th, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) expanded the definition of “healthcare provider” for the purpose of determining who is exempt from the leave mandates set forth in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). The FFCRA exempts employers from...
read moreEmployee Rights: DOL Releases Required Families First Coronavirus Response Act Notice to be Posted in Workplaces
The Department of Labor released the notice required by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to be posted in the workplace beginning April 1, 2020.
read moreFrequently Asked Questions – Families First Coronavirus Response Act
On March 18, 2020, Congress passed, and President Trump signed, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”).
read morePrompt Assistance for Business Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
The IRS has announced that guidance will be released next week providing that eligible employers who pay employees under the new requirements for paid sick time or child care leave under the new Law will be entitled to retain payroll taxes due to the IRS in an amount equal to the amount of the qualifying paid sick time and child care leave that they paid, rather than deposit those amounts with the IRS.
read moreTAX LAW
VIDEO: Tax Provisions in Coronavirus Relief Bill
Executive Order Defers Social Security Taxes
Pursuant to President Trump’s Memorandum issued on August 8, 2020 and IRS Notice 2020-65 implemented on August 28, 2020, withholding and payment of the employee’s portion of Social Security taxes for the time period beginning on September 1, 2020 through December 31,...
read morePaycheck Protection Program Updates
Recent Guidance for Small Businesses Applying for PPP Loan As Congress prepares to add an additional $320 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program, which was created under the CARES Act on March 27, 2020, the Small Business Administration, in consultation with the...
read more501(c)(3) SBA Loans Available: SBA Liquidity Assistance in the Form of Forgivable Loans
On March 27, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the COVID-19 stimulus bill, known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748), which provides much needed assistance for small businesses, including certain non-profits,...
read moreSBA Liquidity Assistance for Businesses – In the Form of Forgivable Loans and Non-Forgivable Disaster Loans
On March 27, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the COVID-19 stimulus bill, known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748), which provides much needed assistance for small businesses.
read moreGovernor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Revenue Issue Actions Regarding Property and Sales Tax Deadlines
On March 26, 2020, Governor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Revenue have issued two actions regarding property and sales tax deadlines.
read moreCoronavirus Tax Relief
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has recently issued a series of Notices which grants automatic relief to taxpayers. Due to COVID-19, the traditional April 15 deadline for filing and paying federal taxes has now been extended to July 15, 2020.
read moreCORPORATE LAW
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Enforcement of the COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
On December 28, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reinstated its COVID-19 vaccine mandates for covered health care facilities as set forth in the Interim Final Rule published on November 5, 2021. The following states are required to comply...
read moreCOVID-19 and the Use of Zoom for Litigation
How much has the coronavirus pandemic impacted proceedings in and out of court? Much has changed since the novel coronavirus first began making headlines in 2019, and the legal field is certainly no exception. Given the difficulty of social distancing in the...
read moreHow to Buy or Sell a Business: When Payment Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster Loans are Involved
Whether a business sale is structured as an asset sale or a stock sale, the buyer usually requires that all existing debt of the target company be paid in full prior to or at the closing. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic many businesses took advantage of the...
read moreWhen Video Conference Meetings and Email Voting are Appropriate for Non-Profit Boards of Directors
Electronic communication has become a vital aspect of our everyday lives. We are able to communicate faster, cheaper, and with more people simultaneously than ever before. There are many benefits that come with today’s electronic communication, but it is important for...
read moreTaxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020
The recently enacted Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 made changes to the employee retention tax credits created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES). One of the major changes was extending the Employee Retention...
read moreVIDEO: Tax Provisions in Coronavirus Relief Bill
Are You Keeping Workers on Payroll? A New Law May Extend Your COVID Tax Credit
The recently enacted Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 made changes to the employee retention tax credits created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). One of those major changes was extending the Employee...
read moreBuying or Selling a Business with a PPP Loan or an Economic Injury Disaster Loan
Whether a business sale is structured as an asset sale or a stock sale, the buyer usually requires that all existing debt of the target company be paid in full prior to or at the closing. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic many businesses took advantage of the...
read moreMeeting Client Legal Needs As COVID-19 Changes Our Lives
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges and changes to the way we all live and how we do business. As we continue to provide essential legal services, we have adapted to ensure our clients’ legal needs are met in a safe and timely manner. Our...
read morePPP Loan Forgiveness Platform Set to Open August 10, 2020
The Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a procedural Notice to lenders outlining the process of applying for forgiveness for their borrowers. SBA will be accepting Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness applications submitted by lenders on its...
read moreREAL ESTATE LAW
Meeting Client Legal Needs As COVID-19 Changes Our Lives
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges and changes to the way we all live and how we do business. As we continue to provide essential legal services, we have adapted to ensure our clients’ legal needs are met in a safe and timely manner. Our...
read moreSuspension on Mortgage Foreclosures and Evictions Extended
Governor Ron DeSantis has once again extended his prior order, which suspends mortgage foreclosures and evictions, until 12:01 a.m. on June 2, 2020. The governor’s original executive order on the issue was signed on April 2 and would run through May 17. Although...
read moreFlorida Governor DeSantis Suspends Mortgage Foreclosures and Residential Evictions
In response to COVID-19's impact on businesses, Florida Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-95, directing the Department of Revenue to issue an emergency order suspending taxation imposed under Chapter 201, Florida Statutes, for notes and other written...
read moreSurviving an Economic Crisis: Potential Advantages and Disadvantages of a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Although many economic experts predicted that the economy may deteriorate in 2020, none of these experts could have foreseen the unprecedented impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on the economy. In a matter of weeks, the coronavirus pandemic has caused the...
read moreGovernor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Revenue Issue Actions Regarding Property and Sales Tax Deadlines
On March 26, 2020, Governor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Revenue have issued two actions regarding property and sales tax deadlines.
read moreFINANCE LAW
Additional Funding Approved to Replenish Coronavirus Small Business Loan Program
The House approved over $480 billion in additional funding to help the program geared to keep small businesses from shuttering and their employees from going on unemployment because of the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The bill includes more than $320...
read more501(c)(3) SBA Loans Available: SBA Liquidity Assistance in the Form of Forgivable Loans
On March 27, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the COVID-19 stimulus bill, known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748), which provides much needed assistance for small businesses, including certain non-profits,...
read moreSBA Liquidity Assistance for Businesses – In the Form of Forgivable Loans and Non-Forgivable Disaster Loans
On March 27, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the COVID-19 stimulus bill, known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748), which provides much needed assistance for small businesses.
read moreESTATE PLANNING
Estate Planning During Coronavirus
Thanks to technology, our firm is fully operational during the COVID-19 pandemic and has already assisted clients with the “new temporary normal” of sheltering in place.
read moreHEALTH CARE LAW
Telehealth HIPAA Compliance
COVID Changes Way Health Care Providers Administer Services The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enforces certain rules and regulations regarding protected health information as provided under the Health Insurance...
read moreMeeting Client Legal Needs As COVID-19 Changes Our Lives
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges and changes to the way we all live and how we do business. As we continue to provide essential legal services, we have adapted to ensure our clients’ legal needs are met in a safe and timely manner. Our...
read moreThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Announces Financial Relief Option for Medicare Providers
On March 28, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced an expansion of its accelerated and advance payment program for health care providers and suppliers that participate in Medicare. This expansion includes changes from the Coronavirus...
read moreDepartment of Labor Expands Definition of Healthcare Providers to Related to Exemption from Paid Leave
On March 28th, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) expanded the definition of “healthcare provider” for the purpose of determining who is exempt from the leave mandates set forth in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). The FFCRA exempts employers from...
read moreCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services Broadens Telehealth Services Amid COVID-19
In response to COVID-19, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has significantly broadened access to Medicare reimbursable telehealth services.
read moreLAND USE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW
COVID-19 Pandemic Causes Local Governments To Switch To Virtual Public Access For Meetings
It is safe to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us in one way or another. Many of us were forced to become familiar with virtual meetings as a replacement for face-to-face meetings, whether we wanted to or not. A dilemma arose for our local government...
read moreRestrictions on Vacation Rentals During COVID-19
On March 27, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis put restrictions on vacation rentals by Executive Order 20-87. The Order prohibits vacation rentals from making any new reservations or bookings during the period ending April 10, 2020. It also prohibits vacation rentals...
read moreCertain Permits and Development Orders May be Extended Due to Florida’s State of Emergency for COVID-19
On March 9, 2020, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-52 declaring a state of Emergency in Florida for the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
read more