Despite the Saturday night bombing in Lower Manhattan, as well as the discovery of an undetonated device in nearby Elizabeth—as well as other incidents elsewhere in the area—law firms in New Jersey’s largest city saw little to no disruption Monday.
In deciding against an office closure, delay or emergency announcement, “it seemed like everyone around here was going to be engaged in business as usual,” said James Flynn, managing partner of the Newark office of Epstein Becker & Green at 1 Gateway Center. He noted that one attorney, an Elizabeth resident, opted to work remotely for safety reasons.
McCarter & English, with its home base in 4 Gateway Center, also declined to activate its employee notification system, which sends calls to employees’ home and cell lines—repeatedly, if necessary, until message receipt is acknowledged.
There were no disruptions at any of the firm’s offices—including its New York post, at 245 Park Ave., between 46th and 47th streets—”other than a couple employees getting into work a little bit late” because of train delays, according to managing partner Stephen Vajtay Jr.
He said the firm’s operations staff regularly coordinates with other large firms in Newark and New York when it comes to potential closures, weather-related and otherwise.
“They have a pretty good network,” Vajtay said. “We have access to what other people are doing, and we factor that in.”
A safe environment is more than a matter of best practices—it’s a matter of client demand, according to Vajtay.