While the COVID-19 crisis has overturned the world as we know it, it has also witnessed thousands of legal memos circulating the country. From authorizations for lockdowns to businesses seeking aid, COVID-19 memos have been flooding from legal offices to the country’s every nook and corner.
This wealth of up-to-date information is now available for free, all thanks to Stanford Law School.
Free Access to COVID-19 Legal Articles
In April 2020, the law school announced the launch of its COVID-19 Memo Database, which has over 4,000 pandemic-related memoranda. The database has been developed by the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, in collaboration with Cornerstone Research.
The database is believed to be unique, consisting of legal documentation generated by the leading law firms, audit firms, and advisors of the country. It serves as an invaluable resource for law students and professionals, not excluding the auditing community.
The database focuses on two main categories. The Firm Resources provides details of COVID-19 resource centers of each firm in the database. The second section of memos is a searchable index of COVID-19-related memorandum developed by the firms listed. It covers legal, regulatory, accounting, and governess issues raised during the pandemic.
The database was created with the general counsel in mind and is available for the public at covidmemo.law.stanford.edu.
The issues addressed in the memos are related to the current social and political scenario, including the government’s authority on passing new regulations. Furthermore, it also sheds light on the possibility that businesses could seek legal measures to obtain compensation from governmental authorities due to the losses that occurred during shutdowns.
The keyword-searchable option can redirect you to sources and titles linking to original memos. The database can also give you access to governmental policies and acts such as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, and other memos related to business interruptions.
You can find any topic from tax concerns, workplace issues, security destruction, insurance, and even data on international trading activities with European and Asian countries during the pandemic.
In effect, you can get your fingers on this treasure chest of resources that offer unparalleled insight into how the public and private sector handled the pandemic.
Joseph Grundfest, W. A. Franke Professor of Law and Business and senior faculty at the Rock Center, describes this website as a practical and reliable solution to organize all COVID-19-related information. In his words, “we are drowning in COVID-19 information”. Yet there is no way of quickly finding the most recent update or data regarding a specific problem. The database would play a crucial role in gaining insight into issues stemming from the virus.
Stanford Law School continues to be one of the most coveted law schools in the country. With an acceptance rate of 9.7%, getting into Stanford Law is not deemed an easy task. The school is ranked second in the US News Law School Ranking report consistently for several years.
The law school continues to offer the best resources for students, and this database is one such brilliant example of their services being beneficial to the global legal community.