· Make sure you have all the appropriate information from the partners (or lawyers or family) to settle any projects you were working on; if necessary, get hold of and read the contracts

· Write and send out his/her obit to all necessary media outlets

· Create a memorial/tribute party for all friends and family to gather and relate stories to one another; make it easy on yourself and create an evite

· Get access to your clients email and phone addresses to send invitation

· Partner with a charity that the client loved and suggest donations to be made in his/her name

· Be sure to submit any external bills (subcontractors you may have worked with) to whomever is paying the final bills; they still need to be paid for their work, as do you; if necessary, file a lien or lawsuit (small claims is up to $5,000 in NY) to get paid

· Do the best you can to control any possible damage to the client’s reputation; having been associated with someone who had "frienemies" could damage your reputation, so you need to protect yourself as well

· Let your voicemail answer as many calls as possible and return them when you have a moment to breathe.  It’s important not to be overwhelmed by your loss (of a friend and client) and not to stress about the loss of business or needing to find new business immediately

· Do breathe – de-stress anyway you possibly can, so you can prioritize and focus on the important things that need to get done

· If necessary, alert your other clients to your situation so they probably give you a little more time to accomplish their needs