As a lawyer in Apple Valley and somebody who follows technology trends, I was very interested in a new post by lawyer/blogger Adam Cordover at his blog ABC Family Law Blog. The post was about how judges in Hillsborough County, Florida are now using Skype for court hearings. I’m impressed.
I agree with Mr. Cordover when he writes that his usual practice is to advise ALL CLIENTS to come to court for face-to-face hearings with the judge. My general rule of thumb is to always tell the client that he or she must be in court on the day of a scheduled hearing – no exceptions. I sometimes chuckle that many of my clients appear to feel that since they hired me as their family law lawyer, they can just have me show up for them. That is the wrong attitude.
But, at times, a judge will allow a party to appear by telephone when it is necessary. Occasions when telephonic conferences are necessary are when a party is out-of-state or in jail. Usually, as an attorney, I have to request that the judge allow a “telephonic conference” for my clients. I do this by submitting a “motion” to the court. After the motion is submitted, my client must receive an Order stating that, yes, he or she can appear via telephone.
Now, it appears that some judges are moving towards Skype for their telephonic conferences. That is wonderful news. I couldn’t be happier. To me, a lot of the procedural requirements of the law are a bit old-fashioned and, at times, just plain silly. Florida judges appear to be trend setters. Check out their announcement as reported on Mr. Cordover’s blog:
*** NEW ***
SKYPE HAS ARRIVED!
‘Skype’ video conferencing technology is now available in our courtroom. A party, attorney or a witness who lives over 100 miles from Tampa or a local witness or expert upon which both parties agree may appear by Skype may contact Judge Ward’s Judicial Assistant to arrange for same. You MUST inform the Judicial Assistant by e-mail of your desire to use Skype and the other party’s agreement to same. Any witness appearing by Skype MUST contact the Judicial Assistant at least 72 hours in advance of the hearing to arrange the set-up connection. Please note Skype will NOT be available at case management conferences or on the Open Docket as the courtroom may be too full to accommodate this.
I, for one, think this is a great move by the court and I applaud them. I just hope that judge’s in my jurisdiction take heed. As an Apple Valley MN family law lawyer, I know that my clients need flexibility. Skype certainly allows for flexibility.
