Bostwick & Peterson Partner James S. Bostwick recently shared his insight on how repercussions created by the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) are impacting the legal world in a pair of newly published articles featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and TV Grapevine.
SF Chronicle: Trial By Video Conference?
An article published in the Sunday, April 5, 2020 edition of the SF Chronicle – Trial by video conference? Not yet, but coronavirus forces Bay Area courts to embrace more virtual proceedings – features an in-depth discussion on how California courts are adapting to the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing directives, and statewide Stay at Home orders. That includes the use of virtual and remote proceedings to keep cases moving forward.
Though remote technology has become more common in many facets of our lives, it’s a significant change for the legal system – and it’s reception is mixed.
As Bostwick tells the Chronicle, in-person jury trials are proceedings where:
“A cross-section of our society meets together and acts as a community. They have a remarkable opportunity to evaluate other human beings in the flesh — parties, experts and witnesses, all under the watchful eye of a robed judge and subject to close examination. This is where the truth becomes evident — where people reveal their souls — up close and personal.”
If trial participants communicate remotely solely from “safe zones,” he adds, “the administration of justice will have become remote, more akin to a Hollywood production.”
TV Grapevine: COVID-19 and The Legal World
In the TV Grapevine article, Bostwick expounds upon how the legal world is adjusting to COVID-19, providing insight on the scope of the impact across local, state, and federal courts, the “new normal” of indefinite delays, and what the justice system may look like post coronavirus. Bostwick also touches on steps attorneys can take to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
Read the full article: COVID-19 and The Legal World: James S. Bostwick Speaks.