Written in Partnership with Maria Williams
For a while, it seemed a given that COVID-19 transformed the physical workplace. Then, increasing numbers of companies across the country started calling their employees back into physical offices. The Lake Law Firm – which went all digital during the pandemic – went in the opposite direction, keeping most of its workforce remote.
The company’s founder, Ed Lake, and his partners believe the remote format allows them to better serve their clients. Focusing on product liability claims, also called mass torts, the firm largely represents victims of corporate negligence.As an example, they serve people who developed cancer after exposure to toxic chemicals in haircare products, the herbicides Roundup and Paraquat, and contaminated water at the Camp Lejeune military base.
“No company is too big to be held responsible for decisions that ruin people’s lives,” said Michael Blom, partner and spokesperson for the firm. “We strive to help our clients get compensation for their injuries and to hold companies accountable for knowingly or negligently putting people’s lives and health at risk.”
The Lake Law Firm believes its primarily digital format helps the company attract the best talent, develop a diverse workforce, and more easily innovate. In a competitive industry with a deep history, these traits allow it to better serve its clients.
“We’ve found that working in an almost all-digital format makes it easier for us to collaborate and to explore new practice areas,” Blom said. “Because we have employees from coast to coast, we see emerging trends and markets across the entire country.”
In an example of an innovative practice, last year The Lake Law Firm developed a process to help businesses apply for the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC). This federal program allows business owners to recover up to $26,000 per employee, even if they received PPP or had increased revenue.
Blom and others at the firm realized many business owners either didn’t know they were eligible or thought it was too complicated to apply. The Lake Law Firm created a program to evaluate and apply for these credits, making the process faster, easier, and safer. The firm only takes a tax-deductible contingency fee if the client receives a check from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), and the firm supplies complete audit defense, at no charge.
More information about The Lake Law Firm standing for clients who have been injured by dangerous drugs, unsafe medical devices, and defective products, as well as its ERTC program, is available at https://thelakelawfirm.com/.
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