COVID-19 Updates

Kirker Davis Remains Fully Operational and Committed to Our Clients’ Needs

With the current global situation continually evolving and impacting many people’s daily lives, our main priority continues to be the well-being of our clients. To ease anxieties that you may be experiencing regarding your matter during this time, below is a breakdown of what you can reliably expect from our team.

What Remains the Same

• Fully Operational: Kirker Davis is still fully operational and is available to provide comprehensive legal services to our clients.
• Same Contacts and Hours: Our attorneys and staff are still available to answer your questions and speak with you about your case. Our team is available at the same phone numbers and email addresses from 8:30am until 5:30pm, Monday through Friday.
• New Matters: Kirker Davis is still accepting new family, estate and business law matters through our regular Intake process. Prospective clients may continue to (1) call us at (512) 598-0010; (2) email us at [email protected]; or (3) submit a consultation request via our website at https://www.kirkerdavis.com/contact-us/.

What Is a Little Different

• Remote work: Because Kirker Davis has comprehensive remote working abilities, our team will be working securely from home. This means that meetings will be via either teleconference or video conference rather than in-person.
• Texas Court Operations: Texas courts are modifying operations according to the developing situation. Most hearings are being converted to phone or video-conference, postponed or cancelled.  Kirker Davis attorneys are frequently monitoring their clients’ cases and will continue to stay abreast of developments with the court. Regardless of how your legal proceedings may be impacted, your attorney will keep you consistently informed.

Helpful Resources

• Second Emergency Order Regarding the COVID-19 State of Disaster: On March 17, 2020, the Supreme Court of Texas clarified possession schedules during the school closures.
• Federal Tax Delay Announcement: On March 17, 2020, the US Government announced a 90-day delay for many tax payments.
• Small Business Disaster Assistance Loans: On March 17, 2020, the US SBA eased criteria that may soon allow for loans up to $2 million to offset temporary loss of revenue due to COVID-19.

Kirker Davis Tips for Working Remotely

• Communicate Clear Expectations with Your Teams at the Outset
  • Because remote work prevents regular, in-person check-ins and presents other unique challenges, each team member should both inquire about and convey clear expectations regarding updates, communication, workflow, etc. right from the beginning.

• Share Updates Promptly and Communicate Regularly
  • Consider what types of updates are necessary for your teams in order to help everyone stay connected and informed and share those promptly, inclusively, and in an organized fashion.
  • Regular check-ins stop larger issues from festering, allow for immediate and regular feedback, and promote open communication.
  • Daily or weekly check-ins might include: (1) What did I work on yesterday?; (2) What am I working on today?; (3) What issues are blocking me?; (4) Am I concerned about meeting any deadlines?; (5) Do I need help managing my workload?; (6) Do I have capacity to help others manage their workloads?
  • Combat miscommunication by speaking on the phone or via videoconference when necessary and possible.

• Consider Making Slack Your Virtual “Main Office”
  • To avoid isolation and facilitate a sense of accessibility, consider using Slack if you do not already do so. It will allow team members to see when you are available and contact you in real-time, much like swinging by your desk to chat quickly.

• Continue Your Regular Morning Routine
  • Continuing your regular morning routine (i.e., showering, getting dressed, etc.) can help set boundaries between working from home and just being at home. Approaching remote work the same way you approach going into the office (minus the office part) can help motivate you in a way that staying in your pajamas may not.

• Set and follow a schedule
  • When working remotely, work life and home life can easily blur together. Try, in advance, to deliberately schedule when your working hours are and when you are carving out your personal time.
  • Take regular breaks – health and productivity suffer without regular breaks for our brain and bodies.

• Create a workspace
  • If possible, set aside a separate workspace in your home in order to further create boundaries between work-time and personal time.