Law firm's task force targets 'Year 2000' bugThe law firm of O'Connor Cavanagh has formed a 14-member Year 2000 Task Force to address all facets of the legal issues associated with the Year 2000 computer problem. The task force includes 10 attorneys from the firm's Phoenix, Tucson and Nogales offices, along with four other experts on the subject.The task force was formed in response to potential problems anticipated when the year 2000 rolls around and older computer system software translates the two-digit year "00" as 1900. Companies, organizations and government institutions nationwide are investing large amounts of time and money to re-program their systems to reflect the correct date before the decade ends. "Businesses, financial institutions and government agencies could sustain major negative impacts to their computer systems and business processes should they fail to successfully address their compliance issues prior to the year 2000," says Scott A. Rose, chairman of the law firm's board of directors. The task force plans to hold a series of Year 2000 public seminars examining various problem areas in the coming months. Among those participating in the seminars will be Dr. Michael Goul, director of information technology for Arizona State University. The firm's first seminar, titled "The Year 2000 Bug: Avoiding Its Bite," will be held Aug. 27 at the Arizona Biltmore. Call 263-2538 for information. In addition to the seminars, O'Connor Cavanagh attorneys have been speaking in recent months to business groups interested in how the potential crisis could affect them. Paul Burns, a former computer programmer who practices in intellectual property and business litigation for the firm, compares the Year 2000 problem to a hurricane. "You know that it's coming, but you just don't know where and how hard it's going to hit," says Burns. "Would anyone ignore the warning to board up their windows?" 
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