Would you be prepared in the event of a disaster?

• Author: Phelps, J.R.

I'll get around to it ... someday! As we all watched in total disbelief the horrific collapse of the World Trade Center in New York, how many of us thought, again, that we really do need to prepare our firm's disaster preparedness and recovery plan. Yet even today, over a decade after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew, many law firms in Florida do not have a disaster plan. Unfortunately, even the most comprehensive of plans won't help when no one survives to carry on. Many of the law firms in the World Trade Center had branch offices elsewhere or, most fortunately, someone survived. In those cases, a disaster recovery plan will be of immense assistance in getting reorganized and back in business.

No disaster recovery plan however, takes away the pain, angst, and losses. They just make it a little easier to recover. I'm occasionally asked if LOMAS can provide a sample disaster preparedness plan. As with many things in life, the answer is both yes and no. On the LOMAS portion of the Florida Bar's Web site, www.Floridabar.org, you will find an outline detailing the many considerations and issues that form the backbone of any disaster preparedness or emergency response plan. The detailed planning and implementation can only be accomplished by input and direction from the firm's leadership--not blindly copied from another's planning guide. Many decisions need to be made beforehand and that's a task best accomplished with guidance from the firm's leadership. Any disaster recovery plan should, at a minimum, address the following issues:

* Employee home, personal, and cell phone numbers, along with home addresses and e-mail addresses will be needed. Establish a telephone tree in order to facilitate staff contact if a disaster occurs. One or two individuals with cell phones should agree to allow individuals to call them in case there is limited telephone service. Lawyers who regularly use a PalmPilot, Blackberry, or similar personal digital assistance can easily update emergency staff information as well as client and case information for use in an emergency.

* Information about a building emergency, security following an emergency, and building access is much easier if the key contact information is at hand when needed. The fire department emergency coordinator in most cases will be working directly with the building management rather than individual tenants during an emergency situation. Having key building management personnel work and home...