(Photo
by
ROBYN
BECK/AFP
via
Getty
Images)
As
Southern
California
is
ravaged
by
life-threatening
wildfires,
Biglaw
firms
across
the
region
affected
by
the
dangerous
Palisades
Fire
—
which
at
last
check
was
0%
contained
thanks
to
fiercely
whipping
winds
—
have
opted
to
close
their
offices
and
transition
employees
to
remote
work.
Firms
with
offices
in
Los
Angeles
and
Santa
Monica
are
taking
extra
steps
to
make
sure
that
their
lawyers
and
staff
will
be
safe
during
this
natural
disaster.
The
Recorder
has
additional
details:
Orrick,
Herrington
&
Sutcliffe
closed
its
offices
in
Los
Angeles
and
Santa
Monica
on
Wednesday,
a
firm
spokesperson
told
The
Recorder.
The
firm’s
Santa
Monica
office,
at
631
Wilshire
Blvd.,
was
in
a
Level
2
evacuation
warning
zone
as
of
Wednesday
afternoon,
according
to
data
from
nonprofit
incident
tracker Watch
Duty.Thompson
Hine’s
Santa
Monica
office,
near
the
Brentwood
Country
Club
at
3130
Wilshire
Blvd.,
was
not
in
an
evacuation
zone
but
adjacent
to
an
evacuation
warning
area.
The
firm
said
it
closed
the
office
and
allowed
all
staff
to
work
remotely
on
Wednesday.
John
Conkle,
Thompson
Hine’s
Los
Angeles
partner
in
charge,
issued
the
following
statement:
“In
light
of
the
recent
fires
in
Los
Angeles,
Thompson
Hine
is
taking
proactive
measures
to
ensure
the
safety
and
well-being
of
our
lawyers
and
staff,
which
remains
our
highest
priority.
To
prioritize
the
safety
and
well-being
of
our
people,
the
Los
Angeles
office
is
currently
operating
in
business
continuity
mode.
This
approach
allows
us
to
maintain
our
operations
effectively
while
ensuring
that
our
team
members
are
safe
and
supported.”
Goodwin
Procter
and
Cozen
O’Connor
have
offices
located
within
Santa
Monica’s
evacuation
warning
zone,
but
neither
firm
could
be
reached
for
comment
on
their
plans
for
their
ongoing
office
operations
amid
the
blaze.
Cooley’s
Santa
Monica
office
is
under
a
red
flag
warning
for
poor
air
quality,
and
the
firm
has
temporarily
closed
its
affected
office.
We
here
at
Above
the
Law
extend
our
thoughts
to
all
law
firm
attorneys
and
staff
members
affected
by
the
raging
wildfires
in
California.
Law
Firms
Close
Southern
California
Offices
Amid
Devastating
Wildfires
[The
Recorder]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
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