Dispute
Resolution
Responds to
COVID-19
Dispute resolution goes virtual.
R. WAYNE THORPE
JAMS
[email protected]
26
April 2020
HON. GAIL TUSAN
JAMS
[email protected]
In March of this year, the judicial landscape in Georgia changed in
a way completely unimaginable just weeks before. On March 14,
2020 Chief Justice Harold Melton (Supreme Court of Georgia)
issued his order declaring a statewide judicial emergency bringing
most matters to an unprecedented pause. Criminal, civil and
domestic cases all were affected. News travelled fast as COVID-19
precautions forced courthouses located throughout the 159
Georgia counties to shut their doors to all “non-essential” business
for the foreseeable future. Judges, clerks, court administrators,
attorneys and their clients, self-represented litigants, court
reporters and law-related service providers all were left with
the daunting task of prioritizing work based on this standard of
being essential and engineering new ways for resolving matters,
all the while maintaining obedience to the letter and spirit of the
Chief Justice’s Order and ensuring compliance with COVID-19
recommendations for staying healthy and safe from the adverse
effects of the pandemic.
The timeline moved quickly as we all digested the Chief Justice’s
Order, wrapped up as many in person matters as practicable prior
to the effective date for sheltering in place, and transitioned to a
new routine of juggling telephone and video conferencing and
blurred lines between office work and home responsibilities. Of
course, the occupational stress associated with the rat race of
feeding parking meters, navigating rush hour traffic and dashing
between conflicting court appearances likely pales in comparison
to the new stresses of being inundated with virtual platform
training, overlapping Zoom meetings, intermittent IT blackouts
and simultaneous homeschooling and remote learning by kids