Virtual Courtroom Etiquette

Thanks for joining me today. I want to talk to you about a kind of an amusing topic in a way it’s virtual courtroom etiquette. As you know from one of my other videos today, during COVID There was a lot of virtual trials virtual appearances it went on and on. And that was all by Zoom video. There’s a lot of funny stories that came out about that that people not being dressed properly and being on construction sites and the iPhone with hey Bob can you bring the pallet down here, you know, it was kind of comical at times and it’s very important like right now, by the way, we’re at such a stage in the court system pretty much returning to normal. We only have virtual appearances, as I mentioned, another video for out of custody guilty pleas where a person’s not facing a jail term and probably many if not most counties still. We’re still doing pretrial applications. That’s applications before the trial to introduce evidence from the crown or defense. So that’s part of the court hearing. It’s so important which we tell our clients you have to pretend here in the courtroom. It’s a zoom courtroom. There’s a lot of respect the judges demand and will sometimes it will go ballistic if you’re wearing a t shirt, not dressed properly. I mean you’re on the construction site with a with an iPhone with people in the background. It has to be in a private area. In terms of sipping drinks. You know, I’ve seen people with coke cans and judges going ballistic. So it’s so important. It’s a simple topic, but you want to create a favorable impression, especially if it’s a pretrial application or a plea god help you don’t what the judge mad at you before he or she is about to sentence you. You need to be in a suit and tie you need to be dressed respectfully if you’re female or male. Keep your…stay on mute unless spoken to and be in a private area on a computer screen essentially. And you just have to it’s very simple. It’s common sense. You just have to pretend you’re in the courtroom and how would you conduct yourself for example, if you’re at church, or at court is the bottom line but I got so many funny stories about judges going crazy. Fortunately, not at our clients because we told them how to dress properly for these appearances. So anyway, that’s what’s gone on a little bit is still going on across the province and we’re all trying to educate our clients appropriately that you’re still in the courtroom when you’re on the zoom hearing.