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sight of some of these lessons , changes and the positive effects experiencing this has had on our lives . As Dave Hollis so poignantly said , “ In the rush to return to normal , use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to .”
In terms of our professional lives , I think I can safely say that , for so many reasons , the pandemic has had the most significant impact on the way we practice law that any of us will experience in our lifetimes . Lawyers are not known for being receptive to change and innovation , or for embracing technology . As a young lawyer , I remember getting into debates with senior attorneys about my need to learn to dictate ; I was confident that because I had done my own typing throughout college and law school , it was more efficient for me to type my motions and briefs instead of dictating them . However , the lawyers who were training me disagreed ; they had learned to dictate and , well , that was just how you began getting your thoughts on paper . People are slow to embrace change , particularly in our profession .
However , in March last year , refusing to accept change was no longer an option . Our profession , including our court system , had two choices — to cease operating , which was not a viable option , or to operate using the technology that has been available to us for quite some time , but which most people were hesitant to use . Suddenly , that technology was the only way we could conduct business .
The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit quickly embraced the use of technology and , as any of our judges will tell you , the courts have never been “ closed .” To the contrary , our judges are working just as hard , if not harder , than ever . Our circuit , under the strong leadership of Chief Judge Ficarrotta , and with the dedication of all of our judges and court staff , has been able to keep the wheels of justice turning safely in these unprecedented times . The statistics from proceedings that have occurred during the pandemic in the Thirteenth Circuit are truly remarkable . From October 20 , 2020 through January 12 , 2021 , when jury proceedings had to be temporarily suspended again , due to rising COVID positivity rates , 50 circuit and county criminal trials were held through verdict and two ( 2 ) ended in mistrials . In addition , 5 juries were selected , but the defendant subsequently pled .
As we have adjusted to remote everything , our court system has done the same . Again , the number of proceedings in addition to trials that the Thirteenth Circuit has conducted during the pandemic is truly amazing .
From July of 2020 through December of 2020 , 46,256 hearings took place in our circuit criminal courts ; 40,235 of those hearings were remote , while the remainder were either in-person or hybrid . During that same time period , 16,467 hearings took place in our county criminal courts ; 10,761 were remote and the remainder were either in person or hybrid . An additional 39,543 civil and criminal traffic court hearings were conducted . At the time of this article , information on dependency and other civil proceedings was not yet available . 1
Chief Justice Canady recently told the House Judiciary Committee that since March of 2020 , Florida courts have installed 1,700 Zoom licenses and have conducted more than 400,000 videoconference hearings and other proceedings . The Chief Justice also stated that the Courts ’ “ response to the pandemic will forever change the way Florida ’ s courts operate ” and noted that “[ r ] emote proceedings are here to stay .” 2 While we can all agree that certain proceedings must only take place in person and that others are far more preferable in person , undoubtedly , many proceedings work well when conducted remotely , and handing them remotely provides a great deal of efficiency , which results in time saving for attorneys and both time and money savings for our clients . Individuals who would otherwise have to take a day off from work to attend a brief legal proceeding in person may now participate virtually during a short work break . Being forced to embrace technology has yielded many positives for our profession .
All of the above demonstrates the persistence and resilience we have all exhibited over the past year . Thank you to our judges , court staff , and colleagues in the profession who have all worked so hard to embrace technology to allow our justice system to continue to operate . We have taken the most imperfect of times , determined how to continue moving forward , and , instead of just surviving , we have made changes that have improved our profession , our justice system , and access to justice . We have shown there is light . I hope you all remain safe and healthy ; please take care of yourselves and each other . n
1
The author thanks Chief Judge Ficarrotta and Gina Justice , Court Administrator , for compiling these statistics for use in this article .
2
Ash , Jim . “ Canady Tells Lawmakers the Courts Are Preparing for the Pandemic ’ s Aftermath .” The Florida Bar News , January 28 , 2021 , https :// www . floridabar . org / theflorida-bar-news / canady-tells-lawmakers-the-courts-arepreparing-for-the-pandemics-aftermath /.
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