CE&C Response to COVID-19
CE&C Response to COVID-19 – January 25, 2021 Update
Dear valued clients and friends of Culp, Elliott & Carpenter,
As we enter a new year, we want to update our clients and friends on our response to COVID-19 and our plans for the coming months. First and foremost, we express our condolences to our clients for their family and friends lost to this terrible disease. Words cannot adequately express our heartfelt sadness for the friends and clients we have lost. We share your grief.
Since March of last year, Culp Elliott & Carpenter has continued to provide services while striving to keep everyone safe. We continue to enact the recommendations of the CDC and the mandates issued by our Governor.
We have continued to open our office with daily occupancy rates of 60% or less. Many staff and attorneys continue to work from home as much as possible. We limit intra-office meetings to a virtual setting and have extensively utilized Zoom and Teams to conduct virtual meetings with our clients.
We continue to follow protocols and processes based on CDC guidance on cleaning, disinfecting and maintaining a safe work environment. These include ready access to hand sanitizer, wearing masks in the building and our office, frequent cleaning and disinfecting of “high touch” areas and social distancing.
Through 2020, we were able to provide our tax, estate planning, and legal services to you, uninterrupted. In an effort to keep our clients safe, we now provide the option to remotely notarize and witness documents, as permitted by statutes and executive orders. We expect 2021 will continue to bring opportunities for the firm to embrace new technologies that will make us more adaptable in our work and agile in our services delivered to our clients, while maintaining practices to keep our clients safe.
Culp Elliott & Carpenter continues to pledge to you that we are in this together, supporting one another until we can celebrate the end of this pandemic.
Thank you for the trust and confidence you place in us. Please contact us with any questions or needs.
Dear valued clients and friends of Culp, Elliott & Carpenter,
We write to share our response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Our firm is devoted to the health and safety of our clients and their families, our colleagues, and the communities we serve in the Carolinas and elsewhere, and this has guided our planning and decision-making.
We are well-prepared to provide our tax, estate planning, and legal services to you, uninterrupted, while taking all necessary precautions. We may need to make adjustments along the way as we, along with you, navigate these unprecedented times, and we appreciate your patience.
Effective Wednesday, March 18th, 2020, Culp, Elliott & Carpenter team members are working remotely until further notice. Culp, Elliott & Carpenter’s physical office is closed. We will limit face to face meetings out of the office.
Because the situation is fluid, we do not know how long this policy will be in effect. We are prepared to serve our clients remotely for an extended period. We are swiftly shifting to complete remote operations to allow our clients to work with us without disruption.
This approach is consistent with the way we work daily with most of you. In effect, we have tested and employed these remote methods for years. While we will miss seeing you in person, we do not anticipate interruptions in the service you are accustomed to receiving. We continue to work diligently to meet deadlines and to maintain the high level of service you expect from us. Our colleagues will have the tools and technology they need to deliver on our commitments to you. We employ best practices for working in a virtual environment, particularly related to cybersecurity. As we make this transition, we want to thank you for your flexibility and for partnering with us on new and creative ways of working that meet your needs.
Tips and observations:
- The methods for reaching us via email and telephone remain the same.
- We expect to have a “skeleton crew” at our office to receive packages and mail, as well as to facilitate work between our colleagues and our clients.
- We will limit in-person meetings. We encourage the use of telephone conferences, written communications, and video-conferencing. We have used this technology extensively for several years on varying types of devices.
- In certain limited, case-by-case situations and emergencies, we may choose to serve clients at their locations while our clients are implementing their own prevention and preparedness plans.
- We remain dedicated to you, our clients. If we need to adjust how an engagement is approached due to your changing requirements or ours, we’re committed to being nimble and collaborative.
- Our team will continue to learn and follow your policies concerning security, travel, meetings, telecommuting, and similar issues.
- Open communication is critical to our practice.
As always, we stand ready to help you reach your planning goals. Midday on March 17 and over the following days, the Treasury delayed the 2019 tax reporting deadline by 90 days (July 15) for filing or paying most taxes. Many states have followed suit. Also, on March 27, Congress passed the CARES Act and might pass additional tax relief bills. We will monitor these situations and laws closely, and can answer your questions about those potential changes.
Despite the disruptions to daily life caused by COVID-19, we remain committed to delivering an exceptional client experience. Our passion for helping our clients reach their goals has not diminished.
We pledge to be in this together, supporting one another until this unusual time has passed.
Thank you for the trust and confidence you place in us. Please contact us with any questions or needs. We hope you and your family remain safe and healthy.