FEATUREDARTICLE
NCCU School of Law Alumnus’ Eyewitness Account of the Development of a COVID-19 Product BY EMILY HALES 09’
As the only attorney in the downtown Durham office of Validic, a cloud-based technology company, I was in deep thought when a member of our corporate affairs team approached me. She asked me what the company’s termination rights would be if Validic decided not to attend the largest industry conference of the year. It was late February, and the conference was weeks away. She explained that the company was considering withdrawing from the conference due to COVID-19. At this point, 4
| NCCU SCHOOL OF LAW • OF COUNSEL MAGAZINE
not many people were talking about COVID-19, and the word “pandemic” had not even crossed my mind. After reviewing the event’s contract, I advised the corporate affairs team of my legal opinion. Ultimately, Validic was one of the first companies to pull out of the event, leading to the withdrawal of many other companies and the conference’s eventual cancellation. Ever since that moment early in 2020, I realized that I am fortunate to work for a company that is forward thinking and truly values its employees. Each day, I have the privilege to work with colleagues developing and enhancing products to enable health organizations to better understand, engage, and manage their populations. I generally spend my days knee-deep reviewing contracts and providing legal analysis, but sometimes my days can take surprising, unexpected turns. One such day, was a day last March, not long after Validic employees had all started working remotely. I
