PBN BUSINESS WOMEN AWARDS 2020 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Amy Stratton | Moonan, Stratton & Waldman LLP
AMY STRATTON, of the Providence law firm Moonan, Stratton & Waldman LLP, guides clients through wills, probate and estate planning. With founding partner Irving Waldman practicing part time, the small firm is run by Stratton and Kristen Prull Moonan, offering clients legal services that are, by design, personal and meant to cover all bases.
Now the COVID-19 pandemic has added much more complexity to Strattonâs role.
With the coronavirus risk, the focus of Strattonâs practice â which involves estate planning and business succession â is even more pressing.
Stratton, who is accustomed to considering what-if and crisis-type scenarios, has had to think even further along these lines as clients call with concerns related to the pandemic. Many are anxious to make sure their affairs are in order if the worst were to happen.
âPeople are afraid and because this is a ... pandemic, it affects every single person,â Stratton said. âThey are thinking, âWhat if I am not here anymore?â â
The work hasnât slowed. Even as other businesses have shut down temporarily, Stratton and the team at the law office have continued to assist clients throughout the crisis. âThis is not a marketing opportunity,â she said. âWe see this as a service opportunity, and we are lucky to be able to help.â
While still maintaining office hours, Stratton said that the firm is doing so with three things in mind: safety, consistency and flexibility. The staff works remotely when it can, but some clients still need to come into the office, such as for signing documents related to real estate transactions, she noted.
Even the smallest precautions are being taken, such as increased sanitizing and doing videoconferences with clients.
Itâs an unprecedented time for Stratton, who has been practicing law for 23 years, nine of those with Moonan, Stratton & Waldman, a firm that focuses on real estate law, business law, elder law services, and helps clients with Medicaid matters as well.
In this time of the COVID-19 crisis, Stratton is using all the tools she can to ensure clients and staff are safe. Software allows her team to work remotely if needed. Hand sanitizer is at the ready, and clients who donât need to visit the office wonât.
Serving clientsâ legal needs in a comprehensive, complete way and delivering information succinctly and creatively is what Strattonâs office has been doing all along. Now, with COVID-19, the need for the firmâs services is clearer, and it is delivering service to those clients in different, necessary ways.
