St. Johns Law Group Responds to COVID-19
Despite the challenges of the coronavirus, COVID-19, St. Johns Law Group’s attorneys and staff are here for you and our business is fully operational. Our office is open for limited appointments and all of our staff and attorneys are working tirelessly to ensure a continuity of service. We have taken measures to make sure our attorneys and staff can provide the dedicated and responsive service that our clients depend upon daily.
Firm management has implemented and is enforcing health-safety protocols and taking precautions to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on our business operations as well as protecting our employees and clients from exposure.
- Meetings. Meetings in-person are discouraged. To minimize the risk of transmitting COVID-19, St. Johns Law Group has converted to telephonic, videoconferencing and facetime meetings whenever possible, including making many real estate transactions “mail-aways,” which is common for clients, buyers and sellers who are out-of-state. So although it may seem unusual for your particular situation, such events taking place without a face-to-face meetings are actually routine. When meetings are necessary at the office, we are fully operational and are actively undertaking measures to limit exposure, including providing hand sanitizers, implementing touchless thermometers, requiring masks, spacing chairs, using Clorox wipes to clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces such as workstations, keyboards, telephones, handrails, and doorknobs multiple times throughout the day.
- Symptoms. We ask all visitors to the office refrain from coming to the St. Johns Law Group Building if you have been exposed to COVID-19, have traveled abroad or been on a recent cruise, or are exhibiting symptoms of the disease (i.e., fever, cough, or shortness of breath). Please know that we are also holding ourselves and employees to the same standard.
- What to Expect at an In-Person Meeting. Before entering the Building, you will be required to sanitize your hands, wear a mask and submit to a touchless thermometer reading. We require this of all who enter the Building regardless of whether a client or employee. If we do not shake your hand, please do not be offended and understand that we are doing so for your safety and ours. Conference rooms now have ½ of the previous amount of chairs and social distancing will be honored, so that a minimum of six (6) feet is maintain between all persons at all times.
- Hearings. Many hearings have been cancelled, continued or postponed. In St. Johns County and the Seventh Judicial Circuit, the Chief Judge has entered an Order setting Emergency Court Procedures (COVID-19), which provides for only “mission critical” court proceedings to take place until April 6, 2020. Most Civil cases and routine Family Law cases are not “mission critical.” If you have a question about a scheduled hearing, please call the office. If you have a “mission critical” hearing, please communicate with the attorney representing you to coordinate preparing for the hearing telephonically.
- Infrastructure. We have “sheltered in-place” previously during the many hurricanes and, through that experience, have invested in the infrastructure and terminal servers necessary to support all of our attorneys and legal staff working remotely, as needed, and with videoconferencing and our own telephone conferencing system. We can easily address your legal needs in the same manner we always have even while working remotely from the office. St. Johns Law Group takes your health and the health of our attorneys, staff, community partners and their families very seriously.
Like you, we are monitoring the impact of COVID-19 and taking precautionary measures. We appreciate the uncertainty you may be experiencing surrounding the coronavirus and having your legal needs met. We are committed to being responsive to your needs as the situation evolves. St. Johns Law Group continues to monitor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Florida Department of Health, the Governor of the State of Florida, and local government authorities, including St. Johns County, the City of St. Augustine and the City of St. Augustine Beach.
Should you have a question about the status of an upcoming meeting or your case, we ask that you call the office at (904) 495-0400 or email the attorney directly. In the event that does not work, please contact Douglas Burnett, our Managing Partner, directly at (904) 687-9126.
From all of us, we sincerely appreciate your loyalty and the opportunity to serve your legal needs. Stay safe and healthy.
