Taylor Wessing Confirms Positive Virus Case In London, Closes Office
The firm has emailed its people to inform them that a colleague has tested positive for COVID-19.
March 13, 2020 at 06:32 AM
3 minute read
Taylor Wessing has closed its London base following a confirmed case of COVID-19 among its ranks.
The firm is the first U.K. outfit to confirm a case of coronavirus.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the firm emailed all its people to inform them that a colleague had tested positive for the virus.
The person told Law.com International's U.K. arm: "They sent an email and referred to 'a colleague.' I imagine they need to check who they came into contact with but also want to respect privacy – tricky balance."
In a statement, Taylor Wessing managing partner Shane Gleghorn told Law.com International: "We have received the news that one of our London-based colleagues has tested positive for COVID-19. The person concerned has been self-isolating for the past week, has had a mild reaction and is recovering well at home."
He said that the London office will be closed until March 18, with the date under review.
He added in a statement: "Since initial announcements on Covid-19 were made in the last few months we have been closely monitoring developments and working with various health organisations and regulatory bodies. The safety, health and wellbeing of our people and our clients is of primary importance and we have been implementing additional measures across our business in line with their guidance ."
Meanwhile fellow U.K. firm Simmons & Simmons is set to close its London office on Monday, as it follows others in testing its remote working capabilities in view of the virus outbreak.
A person with knowledge of the situation told Law.com International that the brief closure will "give staff the opportunity to update home working practices, with a view to also safeguarding employee health in the long run, given the continuing presence of Coronavirus."
A spokesperson said in a statement: "Simmons is following advice from authorities in the countries affected by Coronavirus to protect the health and wellbeing of its staff. Any employee that has recently visited high-risk areas is instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days and non-essential business travel and event attendance have been restricted.
"The infrastructure and functionality is in place, should significant parts of the firm need to work remotely. Simmons will continue to update its responses in line with the guidance issued in each of the regions where it has a presence."
Last month, Baker McKenzie closed its London officer after an employee reported being ill after returning from Italy, the firm later reopened after they tested negative for the virus. In New York, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan shut its office after a member of staff caught the virus.
A number of firms including Linklaters, Baker Botts and Latham & Watkins have cancelled their annual partner conferences.
Additional reporting by Hannah Roberts.
Read More:
Dentons Closes U.K. Legal Services Hub In Response To Coronavirus
Hogan Lovells Latest Firm to Roll Out Remote Working Tests in Response to Virus
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1'I'm Staying Everything': Texas Bankruptcy Judge Halts Talc Trials Against J&J
- 2What We Know About the Kentucky Judge Killed in His Chambers
- 3Judge Blasts Authors' Lawyers in Key AI Suit, Says Case Doomed Without Upgraded Team
- 4Federal Judge Won't Stop Title IX Investigation Into Former GMU Law Professor
- 5Ex-Prosecutor and Judge Fatally Shot During Attempted Arrest on Federal Corruption Charges
Who Got The Work
Charles A. Weiss of Holland & Knight has entered an appearance for Rafael Badalov in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed July 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Lee Law on behalf of Otter Products LLC, accuses the defendant of selling counterfeit phone cases and accessories bearing the plaintiff's 'OtterBox' trademark. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nina R. Morrison, is 1:24-cv-05214, Otter Products, LLC v. Badalov et al.
Who Got The Work
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partners Benjamin Hershkowitz, Richard W. Mark and Casey J. McCracken and R. Scott Johnson, Thomas M. Patton and Cara S. Donels have entered appearances for Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co. and MidAmerican Energy Co., respectively, in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The case, filed July 17 in Iowa Southern District Court by Nyemaster Goode PC and Caldwell Cassady & Curry on behalf of Midwest Energy Emissions Corp., asserts six patents related to sorbents for the oxidation and removal of mercury. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Stephen H. Locher, is 4:24-cv-00243, Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. v. Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company et al.
Who Got The Work
Michael J. Hickey and Michael L. Jente of Lewis Rice LLC have stepped in to represent Tidal Wave Management in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The case, filed July 18 in Missouri Western District Court by Husch Blackwell on behalf of Waterway Gas & Wash Co., accuses the defendant of using a mark that's confusingly similar to the plaintiff's 'Clean Car Club' mark. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Fernando J. Gaitan Jr., is 4:24-cv-00471, Waterway Gas & Wash Company v. Tidal Wave Management LLC.
Who Got The Work
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz partners Lauren M. Kofke and William Savitt have stepped in to represent CVS Health and and its top officials in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The complaint, filed Aug. 30 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Chaya Sara Kaufmann, accuses the defendants of failing to disclose that they used misleading forecasts to set premium plans which overstated the profitability of the company's health care benefits segment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett, is 1:24-cv-06595, Kaufmann v. Lynch et al.
Who Got The Work
Robert L. Wallan from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has entered an appearance for Findlay Management Group in a pending complaint for declaratory judgment. The complaint, filed on Aug. 8 in Nevada District Court by Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani and Skarzynski Marick & Black on behalf of Houston Casualty Co., seeks to declare that no insurance policy exists between Houston Casualty and Findlay due to there not being an adequate form of delivery and claims that if delivery was substantiated it is rescinded based on material omissions and misrepresentations. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro, is 2:24-cv-01459, Houston Casualty Company v. Findlay Management Group.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250