Law in the Zoom Era: The Future of Virtual Lawyering

Washburn Law's Robert J. Dole Center for Law and Government in partnership with the Washburn Law Journal is pleased to host "Law in the Zoom Era: The Future of Virtual Lawyering."

The symposium will be held Thursday, November 3, 2022. It will be broadcast live via Zoom. Please register to receive the link for the Symposium.

In 2020, in response to novel coronavirus, lawyers across the country moved from lavish corner offices in skyscrapers to make-shift workrooms in their homes. The result has been an increasing number of lawyers who have converted their law practice to hybrid or entirely virtual practices. As people continue to adjust to a post-pandemic world, virtual lawyering has remained prevalent. Our keynote and panels of speakers will explore the legal, ethical, and social impact virtual law practice has on lawyers, clients, and the courts.

The symposium will consist of a keynote speaker and two panels.

• The Disconnect: Exploring the Virtual Connection between Lawyers and Clients
• Keynote: Can You See Me? Empathy and Remote Legal Proceedings
• Trial by Zoom: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Symposium Schedule

NOTE: All times shown below are Central Time (CT); e.g., 9:50 a.m. CT = 10:50 a.m. Eastern Time = 8:50 a.m. Mountain Time = 7:50 a.m. Pacific Time.

Thursday, November 3, 2022

9:50 a.m. – Welcome

• Jeffrey D. Jackson, Dean and Professor of Law, Washburn University School of Law
• Marisa A. No, Editor-in-Chief, Washburn Law Journal

10:00 a.m. – Panel 1: The Disconnect: Exploring the Virtual Connection between Lawyers and Clients

Lawyers are now more connected than ever to their clients through email, text, social media, and video conferencing. The result is that more people have access to attorneys and legal advice. But without the four walls of an office, lawyers are struggling to define boundaries for themselves and their clients. This panel will explore the ethical implications of the remote attorney-client relationship and how a competent, remote presence is integral for successful attorney-client relationships.

• Raymond H. Brescia, Hon. Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law, Albany Law School [ Bio ]
• Isaac Mamaysky, Partner, Potomac Law Group PLLC and Adjunct Professor, Albany Law School [ Bio ]
• Brittany Stringfellow Otey, Clinical Professor of Law and Director of Pepperdine Legal Aid Clinic, Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law [ Bio ]
• Moderator: Michelle Y. Ewert, Associate Professor of Law, Washburn University School of Law [ Bio ]

12:00 p.m. – Lunch (on your own)

12:30 p.m. – Keynote Address: Adjudication on Zoom and Beyond: Human Interaction in Virtual Courts

Professor Feigenson will discuss how virtual environments impact participants' sense of "presence" in the courtroom. Can clients, attorneys, jurors, and judges really be "present" in a virtual world?

• Introduction: Elisabeth M. Wilder, Senior Articles Editor, Washburn Law Journal

• Neal R. Feigenson, Professor of Law, Quinnipiac University School of Law [ Bio ]

1:15 p.m. – Panel 2: Trial by Zoom: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

From remote hearings to jury trials conducted exclusively by Zoom, the drama and prestige of the courtroom is now available from your couch. Lawyers have to be prepared not only with the skills to direct and cross examine witnesses, but now to do those skills in front of a screen. This panel will discuss how technology is drastically changing litigation for clients, attorneys, judges, and juries.

• Nancy S. Marder, Professor of Law; Director of the Justice John Paul Stevens Jury Center; and Co-Director of the Institute for Law and the Humanities, Chicago-Kent College of Law [ Bio ]
  "Against Zoom: Why Juries Need Courtrooms"
• Charles B. Gibbons, Of Counsel, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC [ Bio ]
  "No Substitute for Conducting Depositions and All Jury and Bench Trials in Person"
• Dyane O'Leary, Associate Professor of Legal Writing and Director, LIT Concentration, Suffolk University Law School [ Bio ]
  "The Growing Digital Divide: Security, Confidentiality, & Privacy in Emerging Virtual Court Processes"
• Moderator: LeTiffany Obozele, '12, Staff Attorney, Kansas National Education Association [ Bio ]

3:00 p.m. – Closing Comments and Adjourn

Short URL for this page:
https://washburnlaw.edu/virtuallawyering