BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. ā Casual attire can be excused for many of our work-from-home virtual calls.
But that can only go so far when youāre a lawyer Zooming into a court hearing.
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As courts hold some of their proceedings online to prevent spreading the coronavirus, Broward circuit judge Dennis Bailey described some of what theyāre seeing from the bench.
āIt is remarkable how many ATTORNEYS appear inappropriately on camera,ā Bailey wrote in a letter posted to the Weston Bar Associated website. āWeāve seen many lawyers in casual shirts and blouses, with no concern for ill-grooming, in bedrooms with the master bed in the background, etc. One male lawyer appeared shirtless and one female attorney appeared still in bed, still under the covers.
āAnd putting on a beach cover-up won't cover up you're poolside in a bathing suit. So, please, if you don't mind, let's treat court hearings as court hearings, whether Zooming or not.ā
Since Broward Countyās courthouses were closed March 16, the 17th Judicial Circuit says it has conducted approximately 1,200 Zoom hearings, involving a total of 13,771 participants.
Bailey also noted in his letter that Zoom hearings can take longer than ones held in a courtroom because of technology lag and the issue of āpeople talking over each other, which challenges the responsibility to make contemporaneous objections.ā
āOften, lawyers are not looking at their screens but down at their files, their outlines and notes, or simply out the window, and cannot see the judge is hollering āStop! Stop!ā because an objection has been made and the audio stays with the witness rather than obeying the judge,ā Bailey continued.
The judge concluded: āIf all this sounds like a challenge, it is. But there is no such thing as an objection to Zoom.ā
But yeah, best to make sure youāre wearing some pants.
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