New Protocols Aim to Streamline Discovery in COVID Business-Interruption Lawsuits An organization that advocates for a more efficient U.S. justice system has released a set of protocols that aims to guide discovery and speed resolution of litigation arising from business-interruption claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System developed the protocols in only six months, with members of a committee of defense and plaintiff attorneys holding a series of monthly virtual meetings to develop the document, said IAALS Senior Director Brittany Kauffman. She said the committee announced the effort last May because of the unprecedented number of lawsuits filed in both state and federal courts in all 50 states.