Lawyers and attorneys are having to think fast and implement creative and innovative solutions for remote proceedings. Litigators face unique challenges as they seek to serve their clients and align with best practice. For the most part, this has meant activating technology.
Courtroom technology has been in place—in various forms and levels of sophistication—for generations. In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, legal practices nationwide have fast-tracked their implementation of available tech. One of the most common platforms now in use is Zoom for video conferencing.
Many states have signed secure contracts with this platform. There are safety measures inherent on the platform that optimize it to facilitate depositions, hearings and more. Of course, each county and district has unique rules that you’ll have to double-check before going all-in. If you’re ready to get all of the benefits out of this platform, read on or watch our training video below:
Use Zoom for Remote Depositions
Zoom is a great tool for remote depositions. Here are some tips on how to use Zoom for these instances:
Share Portion of Screen
Want to give a flawless presentation? Master this small tweak to make sure that your Zoom graphics only share what you want. You can achieve this by using the “share portion of screen” function in Zoom. Here’s how:
- Go to share screen
- Choose from basic, advanced, files
- Under advance, select “portion of screen”
Now, when you share, you will have a designated window. The content within that window will be what displays in your courtroom video conference. Pull up your document and then position the “screen portion” box over that part of your window.
This gives you a lot of control and freedom, allowing you to have other windows or tabs open without displaying these as part of your presentation. It also protects you from having notifications (business or personal) pop up and disrupt your legal presentation.
Pause and Play Screen Share
You will have spent time crafting your deposition or hearing presentation. It’s important that you also practice the logistics of this presentation. A key mechanism in Zoom is the ability to pause or play your screen share. Consider what viewers are seeing at all times. Here are some basic tips to do this in an elegant and non-disruptive way:
- Open your “share a portion” of the screen feature and activate
- Start your presentation over a neutral graphic or color, not on your live brief or document
- Pause the presentation while you are going over opening remarks
- Move the “shared portion” box over your document, THEN press play when you are ready to share
This gives you flexibility, knowing that you can move things around and only display when you are ready. Your screen doesn’t have to be “live” from the moment your Zoom presentation starts. You have control when you use this feature.
Preselect Sharing Options
If you follow the steps outlined in the above two tips, Zoom will automatically remember and default to those settings. Doing it this way serves the function of allowing you to prepare your presentation settings in advance. This will be especially helpful when there will be multiple presenters. Once the screen is passed off to you and it’s your turn, you’ll have everything ready to go and won’t have to rush to arrange your screen as you present your exhibit.