Dear Community,
We want to assure you that we take the health and well-being of our community, clients, and colleagues very seriously. Like you, we are closely monitoring the quickly developing effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, we are practicing social/physical distancing. Our Millbrae and Half Moon Bay Office locations closed temporarily beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020, to protect and care for those who work with us, our clients, and the public. Our attorneys and staff continue to work remotely and remain available to address your legal needs. Our current plan is to reopen our offices on May 4, 2020.
We miss seeing you in our offices, but we are still available via phone and email, where service remains uninterrupted. You can also find us on our social channels to keep updated.
We are all in this together. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will follow guidance from public health officials and government agencies, so we can continue to support our clients and communities as needed.
For more information about COVID-19 and what you can do to keep healthy and safe, visit the Centers for Disease Control at
cdc.gov
or your local health department's website.
Sincerely,
Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle LLP
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FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RELIEF ACT
The FFCRA goes into effect on April 1, 2020 and applies until December 31, 2020. It calls for additional paid sick leave and emergency medical leave for employees under certain circumstances. Employers must post or provide the following poster to employees:
FFCRA Employee Poster
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Federal Stimulus Package: The CARES Act
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EXTENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
On March 27, 2020, the president signed into law the CARES Act, which includes an unprecedented expansion of unemployment benefits and provides businesses with a deep well of loan options.
The CARES Act will aid displaced workers by providing them with $600/week for four months on top of their state unemployment benefits. The law also dramatically expands eligibility requirements, allowing independent contractors and self-employed workers, who are not usually eligible to collect unemployment, receive unemployment benefits. California workers can apply for unemployment insurance benefits here:
UI Online
.
The Act will allow furloughed and temporarily laid off workers to collect unemployment while their employers are temporarily shuttered.
SMALL BUSINESS LOANS
The CARES Act also includes the ability to obtain loans under the Small Business Act through a new $349B Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). Under the program, small businesses, including nonprofits, that have fewer than 500 employees, self-employed workers, sole proprietors, independent contractors, and businesses in the accommodation and food services sector, who have been impacted by COVID-19 and the economic downturn, are eligible for small business loans. These loans are available to cover payroll, healthcare costs, and mortgage, rent and utility payments. Under certain circumstances, these loans are eligible for forgiveness. See the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship’s outline of the PPP and other loans and resources available and contact your SBA 7(a) approved lending bank to apply for the PPP:
The Small Business Owner's Guide to the CARES Act
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HOUSING ASSISTANCE
$3B is included for housing providers to help more than 4.5 million low-income households made up of more than 9.6 million individuals currently assisted by HUD to safely remain in their homes or access temporary housing assistance in response to economic and housing disruptions caused by COVID-19. This funding will help low-income and working-class Americans avoid evictions and minimize any impacts caused by loss of employment, and childcare, or other unforeseen circumstances related to COVID-19.
In addition, except for vacant or abandoned properties, the Act includes a prohibition on foreclosures of all federally backed mortgage loans for a 60-day period, as well as forbearance on certain mortgage payments for property owners facing economic difficulties as a result of COVID-19. Borrowers should contact their mortgage lender directly to determine whether they can take advantage of these provisions.
ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS
- Rebates for Taxpayers: The CARES Act also includes refundable tax credits of $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for joint taxpayers, with an additional $500 for each child.
- Payroll Tax Credit: Employers who are impacted by COVID-19 may be eligible for a refundable payroll tax credit on certain wages. Employer-side Social Security payroll tax payments may also be delayed.
- Assistance for Fishermen: The Act provides $300 million to help fishermen around the country struggling due to disappearing economic markets caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Tribal, subsistence, commercial, and charter fishermen, as well as aquaculture farmers, are all eligible for the disaster assistance.
- Relief Fund for State and City Governments: The Act also provides for relief for state and city government spending incurred due to dealing with the impact of COVID-19.
- $454B in Emergency Lending to Businesses, States, and Cities: This funding includes $25 billion in lending for airlines, $4 billion in lending for air cargo firms, and $17 billion in lending for firms deemed critical to U.S. national security. Companies taking loans must not engage in stock buybacks for the duration of the loan plus one year and must retain at least 90 percent of its employment level as of March 24, 2020. Emergency lending will be overseen by a Congressional Oversight Commission and a Special Inspector General.
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COVID-19 and Estate Planning Essentials
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The recent outbreak of the global pandemic known as COVID-19 has shocked the world, lead to a state wide “shelter in place” order, and has left many of us thinking hard about the future. At such times, it is natural to consider getting our affairs in order. Many people already have a comprehensive estate plan that accounts for unforeseen circumstances such as these; others do not. We have been receiving a lot of questions related to estate planning during this time of uncertainty. Therefore, below is a summary of the estate planning essentials. Now is a great time to review your estate plan to make sure it still reflects your wishes. If you don’t have an estate plan, now is a great time to consider your options. While our office, like many businesses, is closed for walk-in business, all of our lawyers are still actively working with our clients on a remote basis. We are therefore still “open for business” when it comes to your estate planning concerns, and we are still working on drafting and executing estate plans during this difficult time.
ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE
A comprehensive estate plan should include an Advance Health Care Directive. This document allows you to name an individual whom you trust to act as you agent for medical decisions should you become seriously ill or incapacitated. This person would be authorized to speak with your doctors and healthcare providers and make medical decisions should you be unable to make them at that time. This document also allows you to give certain “end of life” directions to your agent including directions related to pain medication organ donations. Without an Advance Health Care Directive, your loved ones would be prohibited from making medical decisions on your behalf without first establishing a conservatorship approved by the Superior Court, which would likely causes unnecessary expense and delay.
DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY - FINANCIAL
A Durable Power of Attorney is similar to an Advance Health Care Directive expect, the Durable Power of Attorney deal specifically with your financial decisions. Should you become seriously ill, mentally incapacitated, or otherwise unable to manage your finances, a Durable Power of Attorney allows you to name an individual whom you trust to assist you in managing your finances. This could be simple tasks such as accessing your bank accounts to pay your bills, or large tasks such as selling some of your property to pay for medical needs.
WILL OR TRUST
Clients experience a great sense of relief after they have completed a Will or Trust. These legal documents direct the distribution of your property to beneficiaries whom you choose. Additionally, a properly prepared and funded Trust will avoid the time cost and financial expense of your estate passing through the probate court. We are often asked whether a client needs a Will, a Trust, or both. An attorney can guide you through the process to identify which estate plan makes the most sense for you based on your specific circumstances which could include: a blended family, heirs or beneficiaries who are unable to responsibly handle money, heirs or beneficiaries with special needs, for long-term care asset protection, for avoiding probate fees or the hassles of probate, or for privacy. Even if you have a current estate plan or Trust in place, it may have been a long time since it was reviewed or updated.
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Employment Counseling
Avoiding costly employment litigation begins with the establishment of effective employee policies and procedures...
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Estate Planning
Our estate planning practice covers a broad variety of vehicles to assist our clients in settling their estate in the most cost effective and efficient manner.
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Business Litigation
Established in the Millbrae area for 50 years, our firm has cultivated relationships with many businesses of all sizes. Many of these relationships have...
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Millbrae Office
700 El Camino Real
Millbrae, CA 94030
Phone: (650) 871-5666
Email: info@coreylaw.com
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Half Moon Bay Office
625 Miramontes Street, Suite 106
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Phone: (650) 726-7578
Email: info@coreylaw.com
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