COVID-19 Resources from Legal Databases

The past six months have introduced an abundance of new experiences: from face masks to toilet paper shortages to the challenges of working from home. There were also many new local, state, and federal laws passed and executive orders issued as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged (and continues to ravage) our country and the world. Many legal databases created and continue to update resource pages to help people navigate the multitude of new laws. Here's a brief description of some of these resources.

HeinOnline's new collection COVID-19 in America: Response, Issues, and Law compiles "publications on the various ways COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of life, from testing issues, to stimulus payments, to the quest for a vaccine". The database is organized into four "areas of impact": Economics, Global Impact, Health, and Society. There is also a page dedicated to Scholarly Articles as well as one with relevant External Links. HeinOnline is a membership database available to most Jenkins members.

The legal databases and vendors Bloomberg Law, LexisNexis, Westlaw, and Wolters Kluwer also created resource pages related to COVID-19. Some of these resources are even available in front of the subscription "paywall".

Bloomberg Law has two "In Focus" pages related to COVID-19 available to non-subscribers: In Focus: Coronavirus (Covid-19) and In Focus: Lawyer Well-Being. In Focus: Coronavirus (Covid-19) "includes coronavirus-related resources and guidance for employers and lawyers". These include news and analysis on coronavirus related legal issues, state and international law trackers, and information on employment and health laws related to COVID-19. Mental health has been especially important during this "new normal" and In Focus: Lawyer Well-Being pulls together various resources focused on lawyer mental health and well-being. These resources include model employee surveys, professional perspectives on navigating stress related to work and the pandemic, and state-specific lawyer assistance program information.

For Bloomberg Law subscribers (and for those who visit Jenkins to use our Bloomberg Law computers), there are two additional "In Focus" pages related to COVID-19's effect on businesses: In Focus: Remaining Operational and In Focus: Business Closure. In Focus: Remaining Operational provides resources for organizations that "need to review core business, staffing, finance, and communications, and consider still more unexpected outcomes" in order to stay open. For those exploring business closing options, In Focus: Business Closure provides resources on "what options are available and what implications that strategic decision will have on their employees, their shareholders, and other stakeholders". Both In Focus pages include news, analysis, webinars, and various business related chart builders. Bloomberg Law also has a Coronavirus (Covid-19) Toolkit which includes forms and checklists on force majeure and contract management, returning to the worksite, communicating with employees, policies and procedures, and more.

LexisNexis provides free access to their Global COVID-19 Resources. These include global news and risk trackers as well as resources specific to countries and regions around the world, including Australia, Japan, the Middle East, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and more. Their U.S. resources include news and analysis from Law360, legal impact analyzers from Lex Machina, and practice specific resources from Practical Guidance.

Practical Guidance from LexisNexis has developed a free Coronavirus Resource Kit that features "select content addressing emerging issues related to coronavirus across a variety of practice areas". Practice areas include antitrust, bankruptcy, civil litigation, commercial transactions, data security and privacy, insurance, intellectual property and technology, labor and employment, real estate, trusts and estates, and more. Each practice area includes links to a selection of Practical Guidance documents, including forms, articles, and charts. Current Practical Guidance customers have access to the resource kit with their subscription. Non-subscribers can fill out a form to have the toolkit emailed to them without charge.

Thomson Reuters, the parent company of Westlaw, provides access to its COVID-19 Resource Center, which was created by legal and tax experts. The Resource Center defaults to news and insights from Reuters News. A subscription is needed to access some resources listed in the COVID-19 Resource Center.

Westlaw subscribers (and those using the library's Westlaw computers), have access to the Westlaw COVID-19 Legal Materials & News. These include federal and state legislation and regulations, presidential proclamations and executive orders, federal administrative decisions and guidance, federal and state cases, and more. There are also 50 state surveys, law firm updates, litigation analytics, and more.

Practical Law from Westlaw has a free Global Coronavirus Toolkit whose resources "cover a range of public health emergency and disaster preparedness topics applicable to attorneys and professionals located in the UK, US, China, Australia, Canada and New Zealand." Documents include Practice Notes, Standard Documents, and Checklists, and the U.S. coverage includes topics like arbitration, capital markets and corporate governance, employee benefits and executive compensation, finance and financial regulation, life sciences, and more.

Wolters Kluwer compiled a number of Coronavirus Resources & Tools and is providing them for no charge as a way to support the legal community. These tools cover a wide-range of legal topics, including antitrust law, banking and finance, cybersecurity and privacy, health law, labor and employment, securities, tax, and more. Wolters Kluwer is also providing free access to the Cheetah COVID-19 State & Federal Compare Smart Chart which allows the user to compile and compare state and federal content by topic and jurisdiction.