Ward and Smith's Outdoor Sports and Recreation team has developed a new online service to help businesses that use liability waivers be certain that those waivers cover issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Liability Waiver Review service includes a half-hour video consultation with an experienced litigator to review and answer questions about the waiver, and if needed, suggest revisions to mitigate the company's risk.

"We know everyone is concerned about risk from the coronavirus. Companies want to be safe, and also remain operational," stated Hayley Wells, an Asheville attorney and leader of the firm's Outdoor Sports and Recreation practice. "We've talked with owners of gyms, agritourism operations, day camps, summer camps, swim clubs, rafting and tubing outfits, and zip line companies. Everyone wants to understand what they need to do once they are given permission to reopen. We want to help them all we can, and appropriate liability waivers will help reduce their reopening risk."

The flat-fee Liability Waiver Review is available to businesses based in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Colorado.

Process

Owners and managers will upload their current waiver to a secure online portal, and will provide business data and context for their operations. The attorney review will take place within three days of the upload. Wells said, "The operators we have talked to are anxious to put their employees back to work, and to meet the pent-up demand for entertainment and recreation. We are committed to turning around these reviews quickly so the businesses can be ready the moment they are able to reopen."

This is one of several online products Ward and Smith has developed in response to client needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other services currently include an "Essentials Package" for basic estate planning documents; an online North Carolina Commercial Lease Review service; and the "Forgiveness Maximizer"," an online report designed to help borrowers of the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program loans maximize the amount of the loan that can be forgiven.

For more information about the new service, visit our Online Liability Waiver Review webpage.