Disaster Planning Checklist

Begin preparing your own disaster plan by outlining the main areas of concern and the people who will develop the specifics in their areas of expertise. Originally printed in the April 1991 Wisconsin Lawyer, the following basic checklist may help you get started.

I. Safety planning

A. People

1) Review evacuation plans and training

2) Check first aid supplies and encourage training

B. Facilities

1) Review precautions for hazards like fire, flooding, power outages, theft, and vandalism

II. Insurance

A. Review insurance coverage

1) Property damage - make sure you are covered for all the natural disasters likely in your area; consider coverage for replacement value

2) Business coverage - consider getting coverage that will reimburse you for lost income, relocation expenses, computer damage, and costs for replacing valuable papers

III. Information management

A. Identify vital records and keep off-site copies

B. Make it a policy to have duplicates of as many case documents as possible

1) Encourage clients to keep copies of documents in their files and originals of unique documents

C. Safeguard computer data

1) Back up data frequently and store back-ups off-site

IV. Contingency arrangements

A. Alternate staffing arrangements

1) For law firms, develop procedures to reassign work if attorneys are sick, die, or are otherwise unavailable

2) For solo practitioners, consider arranging for another attorney to handle your cases if you are unable to work

3) Identify key staff and tasks needed for bare-minimum functioning of practice after a disaster

B. Disaster communications plan

1) Decide who will be in charge of communicating with emergency crews, building management, utilities, post office, employees, clients, and media in case of a disaster

2) Keep updated lists of employees, clients, and other contacts, plus insurance policies and inventories, banking data, and so on, at the homes of those who will handle communications in case of disaster

C. Alternate work sites

1) Identify and consider contracting for alternate work sites, computers, telephones, and other key equipment

2) Arrange for automatic forwarding of telephone calls and mail to alternate work site

D. Disaster recovery resources

1) Develop lists of vendors who specialize in such tasks as drying out papers, cleaning computer equipment after fires, and so on

E. Emergency finances

1) Develop a cash reserve or credit line to cover the operating budget during disaster recovery.