The Shape of Litigation to Come

June 2, 2020 will mark nearly 11 weeks since the courts moved to emergency-only hearings. In that time, courts and practitioners have had to adjust to modified timelines, working and arguing remotely, and new technology demands. But what will litigation look like in the post-Covid transition? In this webinar, we'll hear from judges, criminal lawyers, and civil litigators as they share their experiences and offer suggestions on operating within this new litigation environment. Topics include:

• Remote trial practice
• The importance of oral vs written advocacy
• Managing the oncoming caseload

Practice Management (technology in a law practice, including considerations related to security of information, productivity and efficiency)

Summary of Professionalism Content

• Walk us through a matter that was conducted remotely. Can you tell us what felt mostly the same, and what required the most significant adjustments? What modifications (if any) did you need to make? We’re interested particularly in:
• Client meetings
• Meetings with judges
• Actual hearings before the court
• Based on your experience, what worked, and what didn’t? What would you have done differently? Some jumping off points:
• How did Zoom affect your ability to “read the room”?
• How you modify how your approach (how you presented your arguments) given the constraints of the electronic medium?

Remaining 30 minutes is Substantive Content

• Courts shut down in the first weeks of March except for certain urgent matters. What was going in your practice when you got the message that things were shutting down? What did you have scheduled? How did your clients respond to the shutdown?
• Did you have any matters that were considered “urgent”? Was there a strategic element to meeting the definition of urgency?
• What do you see litigation looking like in a post-Covid environment? What do you expect to change?
• What’s your advice to other practitioners?