Amy Beth Bennett / AP The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, become a member and sign up for our newsletter, Outbreak Today . At least one male attorney showed up to a recent virtual Zoom court hearing shirtless to represent his client, while another attorney was still in bed, under the covers — prompting a Florida judge to remind attorneys, although they are telecommuting, to “treat court hearings as court hearings.” “We’ve seen many lawyers in casual shirts and blouses, with no concern for ill-grooming, in bedrooms with the master bed in the background,” Broward County Judge Dennis Bailey, who sits on the board of the Weston Bar Association, wrote in a message to lawyers. “And putting on a beach cover-up won’t cover up you’re poolside in a bathing suit.” The rebuke came as Broward County courts, like others across the country, adjust to the quick transition from in-person hearings to virtual hearings because of the coronavirus pandemic . To keep up with the legal obligation of court hearings, multiple jurisdictions have resorted to services like Zoom to hold court hearings while communities remain under stay-at-home orders. But in the letter to attorneys, Bailey cautioned lawyers that the casual nature that some people adopt during work-related Zoom meetings does apply to the courtroom — even if it is a virtual one. “The judges would appreciate it if the lawyers and their clients keep in mind these Zoom hearings are just that: hearings,” Bailey wrote. “They are not casual phone conversations.” Using Zoom or other applications for court hearings that are normally held in person have proved to be a challenge for courts. In his open letter to lawyers, Bailey also pointed out […]
