It has long been an option, but it is happening quite often now: The judge lets you know that if you want to move your case forward, we will need an online hearing using Zoom web conferencing or similar media. The experience...more
Less than a year ago, in late 2019, the pharmaceutical industry came in dead last in a favorability contest with twenty-five other industries. According to that Gallup Poll, only a little more than a quarter of the population...more
I was talking with a long-term client the other day, and he shared that he’s experiencing something that I’ve been feeling as well: A harder time staying sharp and focused these days. With the continuing stress and looming...more
It is taking a while to get back to normal, isn’t it? As states and businesses are starting to re-engage after the coronavirus isolation, courts are taking their time. The chances for routine scheduling, particularly for...more
Might a fear-based strategy have greater purchase in the present pandemic climate? People are certainly feeling scared and vulnerable these days. Even as states begin to relax the coronavirus stay-at-home restrictions, the...more
5/15/2020
/ Bias ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Court Closures ,
Defense Strategies ,
Government Lockdown ,
Juror ,
Jury Trial ,
Litigation Strategies ,
State of Emergency ,
Trial Attorneys ,
Trial Practice Guidance
As our lives have shifted, so have our attitudes, and the current social context may be widening the distance between ordinary Americans and large corporations. It was never a close connection to begin with, of course, since...more
If you’re like me, you have been clicking into a ton of web-conferences lately. That’s true of the whole business world, but I think the legal workplace is a natural fit for web conferencing. After all, it is a field that is...more
The Coronavirus is exaggerated, the fatality numbers are being cooked, and the media is just hyping the crisis for political reasons. The treatments are being kept from us, and the quarantine is just a dry run for an upcoming...more
During the current coronavirus pandemic, there have been individual differences in the degree of compliance with the social restrictions coming down from city mayors and state governors. As I have written, some of the support...more
These days, instead of spending our days in offices, conference rooms, and courthouses, we are likely spending those days in front of laptop web-cameras, negotiating our business lives in this new medium. I have noticed that...more
After a brief time when it seemed that Americans were coming together in favor of social isolation to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, it seems that our response is now getting more polarized by the day. As the...more
4/24/2020
/ Bias ,
Business Closures ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Expert Witness ,
Jury Selection ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Political Parties ,
Protests ,
Scientific Evidence ,
Social Distancing ,
Trump Administration
What’s in a name? In the current pandemic, do you prefer to call it the “coronavirus,” or the “Chinese-” or “Wuhan-Virus”? In addition to that choice being a pretty good litmus test on your partisan leanings, the push toward...more
The state of New York is one of the biggest epicenters for the coronavirus illness in the United States. What has become a ritual within many states, and at the White House level as well, is the “Daily Briefing.” All of the...more
It can be helpful to think of the information that we are exposed to in the same way as we think about the food we consume: a diet. Like a diet, the information consumed is not the same for everyone, and it is not the same...more
It is something you sometimes hear at election time: The names you’ve never heard on the state and local sections of the ballot actually have a greater effect on your life. But our attention is usually focused on the top of...more
As the national and international coronavirus crisis is still moving toward its peak, one of the few bright spots has been hearing about the daily acts of support for the many medical professionals who are on the front lines...more
Those of us who work in trial preparation and case assessment are in a remarkable new reality as trials across the country are on indefinite hold. Unlike some past natural disasters and economic disruptions, the one is not...more
While it still might be a stretch, it is a lot more thinkable now than it was two weeks ago. The jurors sit down separately in front of their screens, log in, and watch while the attorneys and witnesses present the evidence,...more
Okay, show of hands: Two weeks ago, how many of you were familiar with Zoom, Webex, GotoMeeting, and/or MS Teams? And how many of you are familiar with them today? These tools for multi-party videoconferencing over the...more
3/30/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Court Closures ,
Court Schedules ,
Eyewitness Testimony ,
FRCP 43 ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Social Distancing ,
Trial Attorneys ,
Trial Practice Guidance ,
Videoconference ,
Witness Statements
Most of us are now entering our second week, or longer, of isolation to maintain social distance, limit transmission, and help “flatten the curve” of the current Coronavirus pandemic. For lawyers, of course, that generally...more
One after another, like dominos, court systems are shutting down or moving to drastic restrictions. In the process, court dates are being pulled and cases are moving into limbo. As that happens to your own once trial-bound...more
As the Coronavirus spreads, and mock trials are being rescheduled, many courts are restricting operations or shutting down completely, and people are rapidly adapting to a new normal of restricted events and “social...more