Be Prepared, Be Very Prepared

Some law firms are gearing up to protect their most valued assets from the terrors of the 21st century. They have paired with an Atlanta-based company called Preparis in order to better protect attorneys, paralegals, staff, and, hopefully, the occasional hapless legal business reporter who might have the good fortune to wander into their office during the next bird flu pandemic. Bring on the duct tape and plastic wrap.

Preparis helps companies get ready for “21st Century Threats” a.k.a. pandemics, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and general mayhem. Never mind that such crises predate the new millennium. The Black Death, for instance, wiped out a third of the European population in the 14th century. And don’t even get started on the Assassins of Post-Islamic Persia.

But, given that the residents of Krakatoa could have done with a better evacuation plan, what would Preparis do in the event of an emergency? Well, the company boasts the Preparis X-Force, a team of 30 experts in such diverse fields as food borne illness, workplace violence, biological, chemical, and nuclear disasters, that is on-call 24/7 and no doubt endowed with superpowers. And companies can evaluate their Preparedness Index, which measures a company’s “ability to protect its people, operations, revenue, stock price, and brand from 21st Century Threats.”

Thus far, four firms—Hunton & Williams, Alston & Bird, Kilpatrick Stockton, and McKenna Long & Aldridge—have signed up. Here at Legal Times, however, when the threat level hits magenta, the escape route is, well, the stairs.

Comments

[Margret Nedelkoff (formerly Kellems)]

I am surprised and disappointed to see Legal Times posting a disparaging item about law firms' disaster planning efforts. When I served as DC's Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Homeland Security Director, my office encouraged DC-based private sector companies to establish detailed plans to ensure the safety of their employees in the face of all kinds of threats, from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. Of course, should a large-scale disaster occur, the physical security of the residents, visitors, and workforce, as well as the economic recovery of the city will depend in large measure on the extent to which private sector organizations plan for and respond to these incidents both in terms of workplace safety and effective business continuity plans. The firms mentioned in the post should be lauded for their efforts, not mocked even in parody. It is abundantly responsible for all DC employers and businesses to ensure that they are prepared to withstand and recover from all hazards and disasters. Finally, as a regular reader of Legal Times, I hope that your reporter's "take the stairs" remark does not accurately depict the extent of LT's business continuity planning. In the wake of a disaster, Legal Times will have a role to play in informing its readership of recovery efforts, and likely won't be effective if your reporters have gotten no further than the sidewalk.