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MuBANY COVID-19 RESOURCE PAGE
Below is a list of resources MuBANY compiled for legal practitioners related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This list is as of April 10, 2020. Please feel free to reach out to MuBANY at info@mubany.org with any additional resources. We hope you all stay safe and healthy.
LEGAL RESOURCE GUIDES
Toolkits
- Global Coronavirus Toolkit by Practical Law Global (Thompson/Reuters)
- Lexis Practice Advisor Coronavirus Resource Kit (Free)
- American Bar Association: Disaster Resources for Lawyers and Law Firms
- National Association of Attorneys General COVID-19 Resources
- LawHelp NY COVID-19 Resource Guide
- New York State Bar Association COVID-19 Information Center
- Wolters Kluwer COVID-19 Resources & Tools
- Westlaw - custom COVID-19 page, but requires subscription
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Paul Weiss Coronavirus (COVID-19) Relief Center | Relief Center - provides an overview of Federal, State, and City relief offered in light of COVID-19. The center has an index of resources available, along with a description of the type of relief offered and a link to more details. They also offer a quick summary of eligibility requirements and information on how to access assistance.
Finance, Health, Employment and Other Practice Area Resources
- The Fiscal Note Coronavirus Resource Page - nightly COVID-19 podcast of developments and a free daily newsletter
- Intelligize - Lexis Nexis - provides an analysis of what companies are doing and how they are disclosing coronavirus issues to their shareholders and the SEC
- Bloomberg Law - special resource page with information related to health, tax, and other relevant guidance documents, but requires subscription
- Centers for Disease Prevention and Control ("CDC") Public Health Law Resources
- Legal Aid - At Work - Coronavirus Questions
- University of Michigan Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse - collection of recent cases addressing challenges to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Legal News Resources
- CQ: COVID-19 Resources - searchable index of news and documents
- Law.com - Instant Insights
- LAW360 - Coronavirus
- Lex Blog - The Coronavirus Legal Daily
- Voxgov - collection of legislative and regulatory materials gathered daily from thousands of federal websites. Coronavirus materials can be located by search function, and an alert can be set up. A subscription is required.
- Just Capital - A Running List of How Companies Are Responding to the Coronavirus
- Good Jobs Institute: COVID-19 Work Relief Funds, Company Actions, and Impact on Frontline Workers
COURT CLOSURES
- Law360 - The Latest Court Closures and Restrictions - includes a roundup of court closures; updated daily to reflect new changes
CRITICAL POLICY UPDATES
Nationwide
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Guide to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act - U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
- U.S. Department of Treasury - suspension of interest on student loans etc.
- Small Business Administration - specific loans with 0% interest for small businesses.
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: What you need to know about student loans and the coronavirus pandemic. The bill can be found here. And more information on the suspension can be found here. And a few explanatory points below.
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- If you are not sure what kind of student loans you have, call your servicer or go to the National Students Loan Data System (NSLDS).
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Borrowers with U.S. Department of Education (DOE) loans may suspend payments for 60 days without penalties and without applying for a forbearance. This is a suspension, not a forbearance. If a borrower does not make a payment for 31 days after a payment is due, loan payments will automatically be suspended. The suspension is retroactive to March 13, 2020. Either way, make sure to request in writing that you are seeking a suspension due to Coronavirus and not a regular forbearance. Does not apply to FFEL loans owned by private lenders or loans owned by your school.
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Loan servicers do not report late payments to credit reporting bureaus until they are ninety days overdue, so if you are up to date on your loan payments, the 60 day suspension should not affect your credit score.
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If you are a public service employee who is partaking in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, you can stop your payments without risking your forgiveness. Even though Fed Loan is giving contradicting information, the bill text reads: the Secretary shall deem each month for which a loan payment was suspended under this section as if the borrower of the loan had made a payment for the purpose of any loan forgiveness program or loan rehabilitation program authorized under part D or B of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 17 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.; 1071 et seq.) for which the borrower would have otherwise qualified.
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If you have federal student loans, you may be eligible to have them discharged (canceled) if you are disabled, you are a qualified public service employee (such as a teacher at a Title 1 school, or work for the government in certain types of jobs), your school closed, or if your school engaged in fraud.
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If you are not eligible for a discharge, you may be eligible for an income-based repayment plan, which reduces the monthly payment to an amount you should be able to pay based on your income. After a certain number of years (usually 20-25), if you make your payments on time, the debt will be cancelled. To find out if you are eligible, contact the Financial Empowerment Program at 3-1-1 (You will need access to the internet to set up an appointment if you are not a current client) or check the Department of Education website at Coronavirus and Forbearance Info for Students, Borrowers, and Parents.
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FCC Initiative - Keep Americans Connected - The Federal Communications Center (FCC) has asked cell service providers to pledge that: 1) They will not terminate broadband or cellular services to individuals or small businesses during the crisis. 2) They will waive late fees related to financial hardship related to coronavirus. 3) They will open wifi hotspots to everyone. You can find a current list of companies who have made the pledge at the link above.
New York State
- New York State Department of Health
- New York Attorney General Guidance on Coronavirus and Warnings About Consumer Scams
- New York Attorney General and Governor Temporarily Suspend State Debt Collection In Response to Coronavirus
- NY PAUSE Executive Order (100% Workforce Reduction For All Non-Essential Services)
- New York State's New Paid Sick Leave Order
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NYS Department of Financial Services - Coronavirus: Banking and Credit Cards - on March 19, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced a 90 day forbearance on mortgage payments. Anyone who is facing financial hardship due to coronavirus can request this forbearance from their lender. You must request the forbearance from your lender and it is not automatic.
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New York State Department of Labor - Information Related To Unemployment Insurance - Individuals can file for unemployment insurance either online or by telephone through the NYS Department of Labor, 1-888-209-8124. Also, New York State has waived the 7-Day waiting period for unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who are out of work due to COVID-19 closures or quarantines. See more: here.
- New York State Suspends Indefinitely Shut Offs of Utilities
- COVID-19 State Policies Relating to Legal Services Attorneys and Clients
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Free Financial Coaching for All NYC Residents - Neighborhood Trust - free financial counseling to all city residents through the Financial Empowerment Program. This service is now being offered by phone. To schedule an appointment, call 3-1-1 or book on-line at above link.
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New York State has created a COVID Rent Relief Program, which will provide eligible households with a one-time rental subsidy that will be sent directly to the household’s landlord. Applicants will not need to repay this assistance. More Information and application for this program here.
- The New York State bar exam scheduled for September 9-10, 2020 has been cancelled. In the interim, temporary authorization to practice will be provided to qualified law graduates. See more for the Court of Appeals statement here.
New York City
- New York City COVID-19 Resources Page
- New York City COVID-19 Food Delivery Assistance for Individuals Who Have No Access to Food
- New York City Department of Health
- NYC Department of Education
- Assistance & Guidance for Businesses Impacted Due to Novel Coronavirus - NYC Small Businesses Services
- City Bar Justice Center: Dealing With the Financial Impact of Coronavirus - A Resource Guide for NYC Residents
- All evictions in New York City have been suspended indefinitely. The landlord can continue to bill you for rent, and you still owe it legally, but you will not be evicted if you cannot pay at this time. See more here.
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New York City Funeral & Burial Guidance - New York City is providing a burial allowance to assist New Yorkers pay for burial costs - more information here. If there are any issues, individuals can also contact the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs.
ONLINE CLE RESOURCES
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