Powerhouse Points
- Trials in Illinois court are proceeding virtually during COVID,
and perhaps beyond.
- Effective trial advocacy in remote proceedings requires
adjustments and new tactics.
- Freeborn Partners share tips for success in virtual
trials.
While courts have reopened to varying degrees around the
country, already crowded court dockets are becoming even more
backlogged as judges, counsel, and parties wrestle with how to move
cases forward within the parameters of court imposed restrictions
limiting in-person proceedings. Just a few short weeks after the
Cook Country courts reopened, Freeborn partners Jim Boland and
Kathy Ehrhart, along with former partner Ed Diffin, represented two
defendants in the first remote proceeding bench trial in the Cook
County law division. The trial, which was presided over by Judge
James Snyder, had begun with one week of live proceedings back in
February, but had been continued with a plan for the trial to
finish in May.
