Ashlee Poplin - Cotney Carolina Office Weathering the Storm

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

Learn what’s happening with vaccines, business regulations and COVID-19 recovery in South Carolina. 

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips, Heidi J. Ellsworth sits down with Ashlee Poplin of Cotney Attorneys and Consultants to discuss COVID-19 recovery, including an update on the legal component of vaccinations that business owners need to be aware of, as well as the new Cotney office in North and South Carolina. Ashlee will also share her outlook for the roofing industry in the Carolinas as COVID-related mandates are beginning to relax in most states. 

The new Cotney office is in Charlotte, North Carolina and it was only a year ago that Cotney began to learn about the Carolina market and legal practices.  

“We had just opened up right before COVID shut everything down,” said Ashlee. “It's been really nice to be able to serve this market through the pandemic crisis and kind of work through it together and see what we can do for the roofing industry through that process. And I'm looking forward to getting back out there and meeting a lot of these people that I've met virtually.” 

The ongoing Roofing Road Trips podcast series on RoofersCoffeeShop® has been keeping up with Cotney Attorneys and Consultants recent growth through the Cotney Around the Globe podcast series. While Cotney has literally expanded around the globe – with locations in South Africa, Canada and the U.S. – they remain loyal to their local communities, with a commitment to understand the legal practices of locations they work within.  

In the Carolinas, Ashlee mentioned a new bill being presented that would allow small businesses to represent themselves in court if the amount is less than $25,000.  

“That is to help alleviate small businesses that have been burdened by COVID to be able to go in and represent themselves in court proceedings without having to incur additional attorney's fees,” said Ashlee. 

South Carolina has also proposed what is called a Safe Harbor COVID legislation. If passed, this would allow companies to limit any liability that they would be exposed to because of the Coronavirus.  

“So long as they're substantially following COVID protocols, they're not going to be held liable. They're not going to be able to have lawsuits filed against them, which will really help people continue to function in this industry without having to constantly worry about being sued,” explained Ashlee. “So, there's a lot of interesting legislation, sparked by COVID mostly, but we're keeping on top of it here in the Carolinas.” 

Listen to the entire podcast to learn more about important legal information in the Carolinas that could affect how businesses deal with Coronavirus related cases.  

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.