Leech Tishman Launches Hospitality, Restaurant and Bar Industry COVID-19 Resource Center
Launch Occurs on Same Day Allegheny County Further Revises Order Regulating Local Bars and Restaurants
PITTSBURGH, PA – July 17, 2020 – Leech Tishman is pleased to announce the launch of the firm’s on-line Hospitality, Restaurant, and Bar Industry Resource Center for COVID-19 legal services.
The Resource Center will offer the restaurant, bar and hospitality industry, which has been severely impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic, with information and tools to navigate complex state and local mandates that have significantly impaired or otherwise affected the way they do business as well as information on other pandemic-related legal issues. Leech Tishman’s new Resource Center seeks to assist companies across this industry to address financial losses, get back to business, and protect the health and safety of their customers and employees.
Leech Tishman and the Caputo Law Office are currently representing a large consortium of establishments, including restaurants, bars, and other liquor licensees, that are concerned about recent Orders in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania which have placed strict restrictions on restaurant operations. Over the course of three weeks, the county has released multiple different orders: the initial order banned on-site alcohol consumption; this order was later replaced by a second order mandating the closure of all restaurants; a third order was then released on July 8, putting restrictions on restaurant operations.
Today, by Order of the Director of the Allegheny County Health Department to Help Prevent the Spread of Covid-19, the Allegheny County Health Department Director rescinded her July 8 order, thereby allowing for on-site alcohol and food consumption subject to certain restrictions. “We have been working tirelessly on behalf of a large and growing group of Allegheny County bars, restaurants, and other liquor licensees who favor sensible regulation,” said Michael H. Sampson, partner at Leech Tishman in the firm’s Insurance Coverage and Litigation Practice Groups. “Our clients care deeply about the health and safety of their communities and they also need to make a living and be able to pay their employees.”
“These issues are not unique to Allegheny County,” continued Sampson . “We’re seeing similar restrictions across the country, as states and local governments try to address health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our firm’s Resource Center is meant to act as a tool for restaurants and bars nationwide, so that they can be fully informed about applicable regulations, instances of legal push-back, and other ways in which establishments can work address their financial concerns.”
“We understand the very significant health concerns, but this is also putting extreme economic pressure on businesses, which have now had to be closed for several months,” stated Steven D. Irwin, partner in Leech Tishman’s Government Relations and Litigation Practice Groups. “The situation is extraordinarily fluid; the regulations change often, sometimes daily. And we want to be able to support businesses in this industry, so that they are prepared to operate efficiently and in compliance with health and safety guidelines.”
The Resource Center can be found here.
ABOUT LEECH TISHMAN
Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl is a full-service law firm dedicated to assisting individuals, businesses, and institutions. Leech Tishman offers legal services in alternative dispute resolution, aviation & aerospace, bankruptcy & creditors’ rights, cannabis, construction, corporate, employee benefits, employment & labor, energy, environmental, estates & trusts, family law, government relations, immigration, insurance coverage, intellectual property, internal investigations, international legal matters, litigation, real estate, and taxation. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Leech Tishman also has offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Sarasota, FL and Wilmington, DE. For more information call 412.261.1600 or visit us at www.leechtishman.com.