Small Businesses Legal Help over COVID-19

Kameli Law is here to assist you as a small business owner who might have legal problems stemming from the Coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19). Our legal team will answer your questions about how to manage travel and sick leave plans for your employees, limit your liability, handle your commercial properties, and protect your personnel.

Last updated February 2021. Please stay tuned for changes in the law as this crisis continues to unfold.

Contract Review:

• force majeure, non-performance, time-of-the-essence clauses,
• supply chain issues,
• arbitration, and litigation clause review.

Lease Review
Commercial and Residential:

• potential forbearance,
• rent deferral, and abatement,
• early termination,
• default and force majeure clauses.

Employment Issues
Employers and Employees:

• compliance with state and federal laws regarding sick leave,
• FMLA,
• procedures for screening employees and maintaining a healthy workplace,
• disability accommodations,
• termination and furlough procedures,
• immigration compliance.

Insurance Policy Review

• Commercial and Residential
• business interruption and civil authority provisions,
• claim procedure and protections.

According to the SBA Government website, On February 22, 2021, President Biden announced the following changes to SBA’s COVID-19 relief programs to ensure equity:

Specifically, on February 24, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. ET, SBA established a 14-day, exclusive PPP loan application period for businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees. This gave lenders and community partners more time to work with the smallest businesses to submit their applications, while also ensuring that larger PPP-eligible businesses still had plenty of time to apply for and receive support before the program expires on May 31, 2021.

SBA also made four additional changes to open the PPP to more underserved small businesses than ever before, publishing an Interim Final Rule and new FAQ with this detail on March 3, 2021.

While these changes are being implemented, SBA is working with community partners to improve the emergency relief “digital front door” and conducting extensive stakeholder outreach. And, SBA is strengthening its relationships with lender partners to advance equity goals, deliver funding efficiently, and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. SBA has:

• Allowed sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals to receive more financial support by revising the PPP’s funding formula for these categories of applicants
• Eliminated an exclusionary restriction on PPP access for small business owners with prior non-fraud felony convictions, consistent with a bipartisan congressional proposal
• Eliminated PPP access restrictions on small business owners who have struggled to make student loan payments by eliminating student loan debt delinquency as a disqualifier to participating in the PPP
• Ensured access for non-citizen small business owners who are lawful U.S. residents by clarifying that they may use Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to apply for the PPP

A critical goal from Congress for the 2021 round of PPP was to reach small and low- and moderate-income (LMI) businesses who have not received the needed relief a forgivable PPP loan provides. Congress set a $15 billion set-aside for small and LMI First Draw borrowers. With existing policies, the current round has only deployed $2.4 billion to small LMI borrowers, in part because a disproportionate amount of funding in both wealthy and LMI areas is going to firms with more than 20 employees. The less than 20 exclusivity period combined with the changes to expand access for sole proprietors, ITINs, returning citizens, and student loan debt is helping us achieve congressional goals.

This information can be found on https://www.sba.gov/page/covid-19-guidance-resources 

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

This loan program provides loan forgiveness for retaining employees by temporarily expanding the traditional SBA 7(a) loan program.

SBA Express Bridge Loans

Enables small businesses who currently have a business relationship with an SBA Express Lender to quickly access up to $25,000.

EIDL Loan Advance

This loan advance will provide up to $10,000 of economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing temporary difficulties.

SBA Debt Relief

The SBA is providing a financial reprieve to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Our experienced attorneys and staff are known for the quality relationships they establish with our clients, which allows them to better understand and meet clients’ goals and objectives.

With more than 20 years of experience, we have a proven track record of effectively assisting clients in can be truly considered as a reliable law firm in Corporate & Business Law, Blockchain Crypto Law, and Employment Law.