COVID-19: How Lawvex is uniquely positioned to serve you safely and effectively in this crisis.

March 16, 2020

Dear Client or member of the community,

As trust and estate, business and real estate attorneys, our practice is dedicated to serving small businesses, real estate investors and, especially, some of our most vulnerable citizens, including seniors, the elderly, those who are ill, disabled, experiencing mental health challenges and children with special needs.

We deeply understand the uncertainty and hardships that the current coronavirus outbreak is causing to everyone in the Central Valley, but especially to our small businesses and individuals near our offices in Fresno and Madera County.

After taking appropriate precautions for yourself and your family, many of you have reached out to us as trusted counsel for advice and assistance at this time and we are ready and able to help.

We have heard from many people who want to talk to our lawyers about their business’ response to coronavirus or their desire to create or update a will, trust, power of attorney, healthcare directive, etc.—just in case– but they need more flexible options for doing so (for example, some of our families have loved ones in nursing homes who can no longer leave).

Here are some actions Lawvex has proactively taken to serve our client family and our Central Valley community as a whole to make sure that during this time of uncertainty, our work on your case can continue, you can get your questions answered and you can get your affairs in order safely and easily:

  • Our work on your case continues to move forward because we are used to working remotely. We have asked our attorneys to work virtually. In 2009, we took the innovative step of being an early adopter of cloud-based law practice management software. For over 10 years, Lawvex has utilized software to function effectively as an “Open Law” firm where our lawyers have the flexibility to work both in house and remotely. To practice social distancing and avoid unnecessary interactions, we can easily have our attorneys work remotely and avoid in house work. But this will not inhibit our ability to perform at a high level of productivity.
  • We will not stop our important work. Perhaps more than any other law firm in the Central Valley, we are uniquely prepared and well-suited to work virtually. As the situation is particularly dynamic, we will actively monitor and generally follow the recommendations of the Fresno County Health Department, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Guidance for Businesses and Employers, in regard to our responses.
  • Phone meetings will be set for consultative appointments. If you have a meeting with us and the purpose is limited to exchange of verbal information only, does not require document review or original signature we will attempt to set the meeting for a telephone call.
  • Webinar meetings via GoToMeeting® will be set for document review appointments. If you have a meeting with us that requires document review, we will use GoToMeeting®, our virtual meeting tool. Thanks to technology, each Lawvex attorney has their own virtual meeting room to use as an easy and simple software solution to meet with you virtually in the event that you do not feel comfortable coming into the office or if you are under a quarantine. We just send you an email with an invite, and with one click, you can start chatting via video, sharing screens and working together on documents in real time. You do not have to download any special software and you can easily watch and interact as your attorney reviews and comments on your documents from the comfort of your home or office. GoToMeeting® maintains a comprehensive security protocol and holds AICPA third-party security certifications that it complies with the service commitments and system requirements based on the trust criteria relevant to security, availability, and confidentiality set forth in TSP Section 100, (AICPA-SOC, Trust Services Criteria).
  • We can come to YOU. In limited situations, where phone and Webinar meetings are not practical, we are available to make office visits to your business, house visits or visits to hospitals and nursing homes in person or by courier to get the legal help you need or have original documents signed.
  • We are implementing social distancing. Please know we are dedicated to the protection of our elderly and vulnerable clients, our team will work almost entirely remotely, so for those who must make an in-person visit to see us, rest assured that our offices will be a safe space to protect you.
  • We are keeping our offices as sanitized as possible. We provide paper towels, alcohol-based hand sanitizer and no-touch disposal in our workspaces and conference rooms. Our offices are routinely cleaned and sanitized. Workstations, phones, door handles and other frequently used items will be wiped down with disinfectant.
  • If you are sick or symptomatic… please stay home. Again, our team works virtually so they will not be in the office if they are ill, so please don’t come in if you are sick. We can meet with you virtually using GoToMeeting® or reschedule at your convenience for everyone’s safety.
  • We are waiving our consultation fee for Estate Planning. We know that you have questions and perhaps you are worried about getting sick or winding up in the hospital for any length of time without a legal plan for your family and assets in place. To help remove any obstacles to getting your affairs in order, we are waiving the fee for our Estate Planning initial consultations until April 15th.

Please know that your family’s health, comfort and safety are our TOP priority. We are here to support you in any way necessary. If you received this via email, simply hit “reply”, if via our website or blog, you can go to lawvex.com/contact and complete the form where it says “How Can We Help You?”, if you are on our Facebook page, you can click “Call Now” or send us a note through Facebook Messenger or just call the office at (888)308-7003 to let us know how we can help.

Be well,


Gary L. Winter

Managing Attorney