Headed on down to court for a change today. Pretty rare to get in there these days. Unless you have a jury trial, all hearings, depositions, and mediations (other than this hearing) are pretty much set by zoom video since Covid. So Covid changed my work life for sure, and believe it or not, for the better.
It’s awesome not having to truck down to these courthouses and spend three hours. Saves like two hours of your life not having to go down there. Clients don't have to come to the office for a meeting with the attorney. 95% of our meetings with clients are by Zoom. More than 90% of our new cases signed up never have to come to our office (except maybe to pick up their checks). It's incredible for both attorney and client. But I was in the mood to go down today and it was mandated so I actually got to put on one of my new suits that I bought about a year ago that I’ve worn like twice.
The insurance companies are paying us good money  so no sense going to trial unnecessarily unless they are a cheapo. Other than an occasional large hearing, trials are pretty much the only thing where attendance in person at the courthouse is mandated.
Absolutely changed my life. Can't tell you how many hours of time I've saved not driving back and forth, fighting the traffic. Amazing that you can sit at a computer now really anywhere, and have a hearing with the judge and multiple lawyers. Doesn't matter whether I am here in Florida or elsewhere. It’s actually easier to do hearings with judges and depositions and mediations by Zoom because we bring up documents from our computer on the Zoom meeting and share them with whomever.
On one of our cases, we ended up taking video Zoom depositions of some of our witnesses who were in Great Britain and were able to show them to the jury in trial. Years ago, would have had to travel to grade Britain to get those depositions done. Incredible how computers and technology has changed the practice of law and allows one to accomplish so much more in much less time. And AI, although not ready yet for prime time, will be the next revolution in the legal profession.
I remember years ago I had a case where I needed a legal citation (a case) to support my argument was in the Florida fourth District Court of Appeal. It took my law clerk three days to find that case in the law books. Today, it would probably take 10 minutes to find a case in a legal database under the same circumstances. Can't remember the last time I looked at a 'law book".
Although the way we practice the law has changed, our commitment to our clients has not. If you would like a board certified civil trial lawyer specializing in personal injury law with more than 43 years of experience helping clients get the compensation they deserve, call us now at 954-255-7000.