NCAJ Coronavirus Response & Update | March 11

NCAJ Members and Friends,

Yesterday, Gov. Cooper announced a state of emergency for North Carolina due to the recent spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In response to this decision, our team has assessed what this means for NCAJ events and programming in the coming weeks.

Like so many other organizations across our state and country, we have been closely monitoring COVID-19’s current and projected impact, as well as the recommendations of both the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).

At NCAJ, we are committed to the health and safety of our members, staff and the general public. To that end, we will be shifting all NCAJ programming and events to remote access exclusively through March 31, 2020.  

Our goal with this shift is to ensure that our members and staff can continue to safely engage with our organization and that we can provide our high-quality CLEs and unique member benefits, such as section trial debriefs, as scheduled and without interruption for our attendees and speakers.

We do not currently have any live CLE events scheduled between now and March 31, 2020. Any changes to April CLE programming will be assessed in the next 10 days and we will update all members immediately to any changes in the status or presentation of those programs. 

The NCAJ staff has been working remotely since September 2019, as the former NCAJ building on Annapolis Drive is now up for sale. We do not anticipate any lapse in service from the staff in the coming weeks, as they are already well-equipped to continue to do their jobs remotely.  

The details regarding all events and programs between today and March 31, 2020, are as follows:

• Section/Division/Caucus debriefs, roundtables and leadership calls will continue as scheduled via Zoom conference call through the end of the fiscal year.
• Committee calls will continue as scheduled via Zoom conference call through the end of the fiscal year.
• CLE webinars will continue as scheduled through SeminarWeb.

We are monitoring all developments related to this situation closely and will update you immediately regarding any changes to the plan detailed above.

Meanwhile, we can all work together to keep our communities safe and we’d like to share a few tips and guidelines we’ve gathered and fully endorse that will help in this mission:

• Wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds each time. Some great examples of songs to sing either in your head (or out loud?) while washing for a full 20 seconds include “Happy Birthday,” “Jolene,” and “Love Shack.” For more ideas, check out this full list.
• Stay home if you are sick. If you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms, stay home and do your best to keep hydrated and well-rested. Thanks to innovations in technology, there are many ways to continue to serve your clients and community at large, even when you are stuck at home. Tools we’ve implemented at NCAJ to ensure success with remote work have included Zoom, Box, Slack and Basecamp.
• Help combat misinformation in your community. As attorneys, we have a responsibility to those in our midst to speak and share the truth. Work to read and share information related to COVID-19 from reputable sources only. Be courageous in your pursuit of the most up-to-date and verifiable facts, while taking care not to rely solely on what may cross your radar via social media or news sources that depend on clicks to drive revenue.

We appreciate your patience during this time. Please reach out to our team with any questions or concerns.

Kimberly Crouch
Executive Director
North Carolina Advocates for Justice