Stanford Law School announced in April the launch of a new COVID-19 Memo Database, developed and maintained by the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University and Cornerstone Research. This digital resource features almost 8,000 COVID-19-related memoranda produced by many of the world’s most prestigious law firms. The project provides a real-time snapshot of the significant legal questions affecting business and society at large as a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis. Among the issues analyzed are legal liabilities associated with re-opening in the age of COVID; the ability to walk away from a merger or acquisition agreement; the ability not to pay rent; the scope of business interruption insurance; governmental authority to order shutdowns; and litigation by businesses seeking compensation from governmental authorities because of shutdown orders.

“We are drowning in COVID-19 information,” says Joseph Grundfest, JD ’78, W.A. Franke Professor of Law and Business, senior faculty of the Rock Center, and chair of the audit committee at KKR & Co. Inc. “I see literally dozens of terrific memoranda every day from high-quality law firms, but have no way of quickly finding the most recent information specific to a problem I am researching. This database is a practical solution to a real-world problem that can also serve as a great resource for scholars and educators.” For more information, visit http://covidmemo.law.stanford.edu/. SL