ABOTA Fort Lauderdale Presents: The Anatomy of a Covjid Jury Trial

A Free Webinar for Trial Lawyers & Their Teams

Friday, September 17, 2021 @ Noon ET

Opening remarks by Chief Judge Jack Tuter on the State of the 17th Judicial Circuit.

Join The Honorable Sandra Perlman, Joseph Kashi Esq., Dan Harwin, Esq., Adele Blackmore, Esq., and Jeffrey Adelman, Esq., for an in-depth exploration of practical lessons learned from recent Jury Trials in Circuit Civil Divisions.

UPDATE: 2.5 Advanced CLE Credits Approved by Florida Bar. 

All participants must pre-register at this link.

Questions? Email us here.

Questions/Topics for Jury Trial in the Covid-Era

This purpose of this webinar is to educate members of the public as to the experiences trying cases in this climate, providing a view from the bench and from lawyers who have been through it.

This is an opportunity to obtain valuable insight as to their experiences and be better prepared for what to expect as we all navigate through this together.

General questions/topic for discussion:

  1. Thoughts on juror enthusiasm and attentiveness.

  2. What are the positives attorneys can expect from trial at this time? Return of some sense of normalcy?  Appreciation for being there?

  3. What was jury selection like in general?

  4. What is the threshold for excusing jurors who express any concerns about sitting through a trial? More lenient on hardships?  Attorneys more lenient on hardship?

  5. Have there been difficulties calling witnesses via Zoom? Does either side feel like anything is lost or had the testimony been well-received?

  6. How are attorneys deciding who to call live v. Zoom?

  7. Is Zoom testimony more effective than videotaped testimony?

  8. Are sidebars allowed?  If not, how has this been handled?

  9. What is the most amount of jurors parties can expect to get?  Is there a timeframe on when we can expect to get more jurors for lengthier or multi-cases?

  10. What has it been like connecting/reading jurors when they wear a mask?

  11. What was the speed of the trial compared to pre-Covid? Did certain aspects move slower?

  12. What are some of the unique issues the bench/lawyers have faced that they did not anticipate before the trial began?

  13. Are lawyers relying more upon visual aids than they previously were? Has that helped them communicate certain issues better to the jury?

  14. Has there been better cooperation between opposing counsel? If so, why? Are attorneys forced perhaps to cooperate more rather than bickering over what some might perceive as inconsequential issues?

  15. Have the attorneys kept more distance from the jurors than they otherwise would? Did they feel like it had an impact?

  16. Limits of team members being in the courtroom?

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