trialandlitigationintHeyearoFCovid-19
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such meetings and to develop
valuable substitutions in the interim.
Our May 2020 Awards luncheon
was postponed. This ceremony
honors some of our esteemed
colleagues for professional
achievements and brings their
family, friends, and colleagues
together for this recognition.
To ensure this moment has the
weight it deserves, we are working
on scheduling a ceremony in
an outdoor venue where social
distancing and masks can protect
our vulnerable members.
To continue to provide valuable
learning opportunities to our
members, we are developing a
series of webinars with CLE
credits. We’re fortunate to work
in a profession and at a time in
which technology can help us
continue to work and move our
cases despite the virus and its
economic and social effects. Some
are better or more experienced
than others in using such
technology. These webinars will
provide tools and tricks for the
effective use of technology, like
Zoom, in practice areas such as
mediation and depositions.
We are also fortunate to work
in a legal community with judges
dedicated to using technology
to keep cases moving through
the court system. One question
continually on the minds of most
trial lawyers is when will jury
trials resume. Chief Judge Ronald
Ficarrotta understandably declined
to speculate, saying “We are
looking for input from Tallahassee
on when it is safe to move out of
Phase One and then Two. But all
of the judges in our circuit have
really embraced the technology
and are working hard to continue
to move cases. The bottom line
is we want the courthouse to be
a safe place for our community.”
He expounded on the court’s
preparations for the day jury trials
can resume, “Our team has been
working hard on the prep work
to resume jury trials and ensure
a safe space. We have courthouse
cleaning and entry well check
protocols in place. We are preparing
a large courtroom on the fifth
floor that can accommodate the
necessary social distancing.
And we are talking with the city
and school board about spaces
we can use for jurors.” Judge
Ficarrotta noted that the biggest
challenge may be having enough
jurors willing to participate. On
that front, he explained, “We’re
preparing community outreach
through op-eds and the like to
educate the community about the
importance of jury service and
the measures being taken to make
jury service a safe experience.”
Both the HCBA and the Trial
and Litigation Section plan to
bring a webinar later in the Fall
with the Chief Judge to help
answer questions about when jury
trials will resume and what they
will look like when they resume.
In these unusual times, our
Section will look for new ways to
reach our members and grow our
membership. We would love to
hear your ideas on how we can
best serve our members and make
this a productive year. n
Author: Chad Moore, Morgan &
Morgan, PA
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