Duncan Craig LLP Covid-19 Response Statement

As we continue to navigate the changing dynamics of this worldwide pandemic, this page is intended to keep you informed as to how Duncan Craig LLP is and has adjusted to COVID-19. Our priority since the earliest days of the pandemic has and remains focused on protecting the health and well-being of our clients, our staff our lawyers and the vendors that provide service to our law firm. Our commitment to our clients and to our people is to take all reasonable and recommended steps to protect you from illness.

We look to trusted and reliable sources of information to guide our decision making. The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic and the Public Health Agency of Canada has assessed the risk for the general population in Canada as high. Alberta has seen four waves of Covid-19 and a range of public health guideline adjustments as new variants have emerged. We continue to closely monitor what's happening globally, provincial and locally and to adjust our policies and processes based upon the guidance of the provincial health authorities as well as the unique circumstances of our business. We offer the following information to address any concerns with our preparedness and planning. If you have a covid-related legal question, we encourage you to reach out to one of our lawyers and have created a regularly updated COVID-19 Resource Page for clients with updates, insights and articles that you may find helpful.

Business Continuity Plan

Duncan Craig LLP has a Business Continuity and Pandemic Plan that identifies and prioritizes our critical business processes and provides mitigation and resolution plans. It ensures that the needs of our clients and staff will be safeguarded, no matter the circumstance.

As part of this plan, we established a special COVID-19 Task Force in March of 2020 that continues to meet at minimum weekly to assess risk, recommend actions and implement new policies and procedures. We continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and to make adjustments that model the best practices suggested. An example of this was the implementation of a firm vaccination policy; as of October 31st 2021 every member of our firm was fully vaccinated and remains so.

All lawyers and employees continue to have all of the resources required to work from home. New technology has been integrated to allow for multiple forms of communication with clients and efficient workflows. We have enacted work from home policies and between 40-70% of our personnel work remotely each day. All onsite personnel and visiting clients must complete a daily screening questionnaire. These questions are adjusted in conjunction with evolving provincial health guidelines.

We are continuing to monitor the operation of important service providers such as the Law Courts and Land Titles, which could impact our client service. These organizations continue to adjust their processes to ensure that the needs of Albertans are met. Should they decide to take any preventative measures which impact our service to you, we will advise you immediately.

Travel and Meetings

We have restricted business-related travel for all Duncan Craig LLP lawyers and are following the recommendations of the Governments of Canada and Alberta for any members of the firm that have recently travelled or plan to in the immediate future.

Clients are able to book appointments onsite to meet with lawyers. We contact each attendee in advance of the scheduled meeting and ask prescreening questionnaire to ensure they are symptom free before an appointment is confirmed. Meeting rooms are chosen to ensure adequate space between participants. Protective shields have been placed in our reception area and meeting rooms and we have adopted strict protocols and cleaning schedules to minimize the risks of transmission. Our lawyers can easily facilitate all other meetings by phone and web-conference.

We appreciate your understanding and will provide updates as the situation evolves.

Thank you for your continued support.

Darren Bieganek, KC
Managing Partner