My involvement with the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation connects me to great opportunities and a network of the country’s highest quality attorneys and firms working on the important legal issues facing our clients. One example is the book the ABA just published — “Infectious Outbreak Litigation: Science, Law & Procedure.”
In late 2019, Davis Walsh and Sam Tarry (from the Richmond, Virginia, office of the McGuireWoods law firm) submitted a book proposal to the ABA Section of Litigation’s Book Publishing Board on infectious disease outbreaks. As a co-chair of that board, I joined in approving them to begin the research for a manuscript.
The outbreak of COVID-19 in spring 2020 added so much more — substantively and in urgency. The lead authors gathered an experienced group from their McGuireWoods colleagues, the consulting firm Exponent to address microbiology and epidemiology, and professor Anne Marie Lofaso to address employment law issues arising from outbreaks of infectious diseases.
A topic that immediately arose from COVID-19 was whether and how companies could obtain insurance coverage for its impact on their businesses. I was honored to be asked to author that chapter. In a matter of a few months, the book idea grew from a brief outline to a full-blown manuscript covering every aspect of litigation that may arise from almost any type of infectious disease outbreak — from tracking and investigating the source and spread through identifying and defending legal theories at trial.
The book is now available through the ABA, and we certainly hope it helps attorneys and clients alike in navigating the legal environment surrounding the spread of infectious diseases. I am honored to be part of this ABA publication alongside several leading attorneys and experts in the field.
