COVID-19: A message to clients from Oon & Bazul’s Managing Partner & Head of Dispute Resolution, Bazul Ashhab

With the rapidly evolving situation in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought it would be relevant for us to discuss some of the measures that we have adopted in the firm and also how best we can adapt to deal with the uncertain times ahead of all of us.

As with all of us, our main priority is to ensure that systems are put in place which will protect the health and wellbeing of our staff and clients. We have a dedicated team monitoring the situation carefully since the outbreak of this pandemic at the end of January and have been introducing appropriate measures which are in line with the recommendations of the Singapore government.

This is what we are doing:

• Each practice team has a clear plan for continuing to provide a seamless service to our domestic and international clientele, which can be adapted as appropriate as the situation develops.
• All business travel was suspended since January and from last week, all events have been cancelled and replaced by virtual meetings, save in exceptional circumstances.
• We have been giving guidance to lawyers and staff regarding what to do when returning from abroad and generally regarding the steps they should be taking to protect their own health and the health of their families. We will continue to support lawyers and staff to make sure everyone is able to follow the recommended steps, particularly in terms of self-isolation if there is any risk that they or their family members may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus.

Meeting the needs of our clients:

We are confident that these steps will ensure that we can continue to provide our clients with high quality service without any disruptions. Given the steps we had taken over the last few years as a firm, we already have systems in place which provide for lawyers and most other staff to work effectively in the face of the increasing limitations put on them because of the COVID-19 outbreak. We have already tested the practicalities of our Business Continuity Plan and continue to enhance our familiarity with working remotely.

All of our lawyers will be fully responsive via phone and email as usual and we have the technology in place to conduct meetings with you online or via conference call. It is business as usual at Oon and Bazul and we would be delighted to hear from you if we can assist you in any way.

We know that many of you will be facing difficulties during this period and we would like you know that we are here to assist. We are already providing advice to several clients whose operations have been affected, both locally and globally given the shutdown announced by various governments. The potential business disruptions from the outbreak cannot be underestimated. There are several risk management measures that businesses can consider implementing. Please contact us to have a chat if you would like to clarify any queries you may have in general or need any advice in relation to a specific issue.

This is a fight which confronts all of us and the chances of us emerging out of it with minimum damage can only increase if we put our heads together to come up with mutually beneficial solutions. We value your input and would like to have a continuous dialogue. Please speak to the partners in the firm who are assisting you and please feel free to contact me if you wish to have a chat with me by e-mail or phone.