Articles

Dear Valued Clients,

As you are aware the COVID-19 situation unfolding worldwide is having unprecedented impacts on interpersonal interactions and business functions.

While our office is currently endeavouring to function as close to normal as possible, we anticipate the possibility that there will be significant disruptions to some services that may affect your transaction. We have stopped attending face to face meetings in our office for any matters that can be dealt with by telephone or video conferencing. Should you need assistance to set up a Zoom or Facetime conference please contact our office. We are still having personal meetings for the purposes of signing documents such as Wills or Enduring Powers of Attorney, and conveyancing documents.

Our staff are currently working as usual, but we do have the ability to work remotely. At some stage the staff at our practice may need to operate from their homes, however, we expect that we will be able to continue to attend to all communications with you during this period.

Given that we are assisting you with a current legal matter, we feel it necessary to advise that there is a prospect that your matter may be impacted by unfolding events. Please rest assured we are putting every foreseeable measure in place to avoid this occurring. However, a widespread lockdown or closure could have unknown impacts. Certain Courts have now imposed rules that stop any face to face attendances, and Court matters are being conducted by telephone or video conferencing. We ask you to please consider the following:

1. Please ensure that you have provided us with your current telephone and email address. It is preferable, almost essential, that we have at least an email and a mobile phone number to ensure that we can communicate effectively. In the event that we only hold one phone number or email, it would be prudent to ensure that we perhaps also have an additional contact in case we have difficulties contacting you. If any of these contact details change please tell us immediately.
2. Please use your best endeavours to ensure that you have access to printing and scanning facilities at your home. We have endeavoured to ensure that documents which we require in original form have already been obtained and we are endeavouring to proceed on the basis that you will be able to promptly sign and return any further documentation. Some documents that may be required have not been created yet, so further arrangements will be required for that eventuality.
3. In the event that you do not have a printer or a mobile phone to take images of any necessary documentation, please urgently contact our office so that alternative arrangements can be made where possible.
4. In the case of Conveyancing matters, please make your best efforts to ensure that you have signed all documentation that is required from your bank and ask them what documents and processes must be done in person or in original format. Please let us know urgently if at any time your bank advises you that it may have difficulties in proceeding with your transaction in the timeframe required as there may be real financial consequences if that is the case.
5. If you do not have access to internet banking, please contact our office immediately as it is highly likely we will require you to make funds transfers during this time. HOWEVER, PLEASE ENSURE THAT OUR EXISTING CYBER SECURITY GUIDELINES ARE FOLLOWED. To that end, before arranging any transfers of funds, call our office to discuss our Client Cyber Alert rules, and our established processes for money transfers. Despite any COVID-19 limitations placed on services, we will not deviate from these money transfer processes and you should not deviate from them either.
6. Please ensure that if you are required to send us anything by post that you allow for possible postage delays (contact us if in any doubt about dates we may need documents by). Where available, consider using posting methods that have online delivery tracking.
7. Please advise us immediately if you have any other concerns or believe there are any other areas or issues we need to address.
8. If you foresee any factor or circumstance that you know will or may impact on your transaction or your ability to comply with any of the above or your ability to remain in contact with us over any potential closure periods, please urgently advise our office so that arrangements can be made.
9. If our office is required to close at any time, we will notify you of the best phone numbers to use – until then you should continue to call us on our practice’s known verified phone number 07 3847 7770.

We have taken every reasonable measure that we can to ensure that you will have continued access to members of our staff over the closure. We cannot guarantee that there will not be delays or impacts on your transaction as a result of the evolving situation, however, please ensure that you keep in regular contact with our office and diarise all relevant dates in more than one location.

If you have any queries about any of the issues raised please call the Solicitor handling your matter on 07 3847 7770.