Due to the Covid-19 slowdown, some legal tech spending is shifting from the mainstays of the EDRM to the previously neglected extreme right side: the presentation phase, as well as depositions and court technology.
Frank Ready of LegalTech News reports that in California:
The California Supreme Court, for example, has been live webcasting its oral arguments since May 2016, but after issuing a standing order on March 13 suspending in-person oral arguments, the court was forced to upgrade its tech
posture.
Clerk/Court Executive Officer Jorge Navarrete recommended a solution combining video conferencing tool Dolby Voice Room with the digital meeting platform BlueJeans to allow justices and defendants to participate in a proceeding remotely. Other courts have taken similar measures, with California’s Contra Costa Superior Court relying on Zoom video conferencing and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco indicating it was also connecting attorneys with the information they need to participate in court proceedings through video.
Mary Mack and Brett Burney are quoted in the article:
So why the dichotomy? Mary Mack, CEO and chief legal technologist at EDRM, previouslytold Legaltech News that many litigation matters that were already in a court’s pipeline before COVID-19 will likely continue onward, but new cases—and the work they provide—will likely become harder to come by as corporate clients refocus their priorities to deal with the virus’ economic fallout. “Survival is more important than suing,” she said.
Still, Brett Burney of Burney Consultants hasn’t gotten the sense that lawyers are stopping their contracts with e-discovery providers. He thinks that many could be waiting to see how social distancing mandates are updated over the next week or two.
“But we’re kind of running out of time to keep paying something. Again it all comes back to the client. What does the client want to do?” he said.
