Stay-at-home orders in the United States have come from many states and a large number of local jurisdictions. This patchwork approach has sometimes led to conflicts between different levels of government and varying dates and rules. Recently, special exemptions have further exacerbated animosity regarding these issues.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced hundreds of thousands of small businesses to close. Early in the pandemic, economists projected that more than 100,000 small businesses shut permanently, according to a study by researchers at Harvard Business School, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago. Their latest data estimates that at least 2 percent of small businesses have permanently closed.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a $669-billion business loan program designed to help small businesses, self-employed workers, sole proprietors, certain nonprofit organizations, and tribal businesses keep paying their workers.

President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) into law on March 27th, 2020. Congress designed this over $2 trillion economic relief package to protect the American people from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. The CARES Act established the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as a $669-billion business loan program to help small businesses, self-employed workers, sole proprietors, certain nonprofit organizations, and tribal businesses keep paying their workers.

Other than an idea, one of the first issues founders face is whether to retain legal counsel. There are a few instances where a startup definitely needs a lawyer. Mergers and acquisitions, long-term contractual issues, significant funding requirements, and certain compliance issues come to mind. However, as a general rule, startups need lawyers less frequently than they think.