It must be a Christmas miracle.  After deadlocking this summer and delaying over the weekend, the United States Senate and the House of Representatives have agreed to additional aid to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The President has also signed this new bill, known as the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021” (the “Act”). The Act is approximately 5,000 pages long, so a detailed analysis will take some time.  Therefore, this post is not…

2020 has been a year of adapting, readapting, and then adapting again in an effort to combat a global pandemic.  Those in education have been hit particularly hard.  Most educators and administrators have had to develop multiple contingency plans, often with little warning. The Lancaster Bar Association is concerned about the impact these unprecedented times are having on educators and the increased responsibilities they have been taking on.  Our teachers and administrators are putting themselves…

As we enter another month of the Covid-19 pandemic, the stories of people becoming gravely ill without a Healthcare Power of Attorney and Living Will continue to mount.  Recently, a doctor on a Covid-19 unit shared a story about a young man who required a ventilator to breathe.  He never expressed to his family what his wishes would be in this situation, leaving them to guess. To further complicate matters, his parents did not agree…

This time of the year, our thoughts turn to family and friends.  Maybe we reflect on the past year or look forward to the next.  For association boards and property managers, these happy thoughts are interrupted by questions about snow removal. When do we call snowplows? What kinds of deicers should we use? And does our association have any liability for slips and falls?…

It’s only been a few hours since the Governor and the Secretary of Health announced that the state is imposing a limitation on the sale of alcohol on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.  What does this mean and who does it apply to? On-Site Alcohol Consumption Must End at 5:00 pm The Order provides that all sales or service of alcohol for on-site consumption must cease no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 25th.  It goes on…

On October 29, 2020, Governor Wolf signed House Bill 2438, Expanding Broadband Access with Existing Infrastructure, into law.  This new bill will make it easier for rural residents of Pennsylvania to access high-speed broadband internet by changing the rules for easements.…

On October 29, 2020, Governor Wolf signed into law House Bill 2370, which will permanently permit the use of remote notarization in Pennsylvania.  Before the passage of this bill, Pennsylvania did temporarily permit the use of remote notarization during the COVID-19 pandemic. What is Remote Notarization? Remote notarization is the notarizing of legal documents while the client is not physically in the presence of the notary by utilizing technology.  The client still personally appears…