Jim Sellers, Personal Injury Trial Attorney in Vancouver Washington: Video conferencing changing injury trial
Video conferencing platforms like Zoom, GoTo Meeting, Google Meet, BlueJeans, Zoho Meeting, and others are having a significant impact on legal proceedings.
VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES, June 28, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Video conferencing platforms have had a significant impact on almost every aspect of legal proceedings, including personal injury trials in the United States. One of the most significant impact is that these platforms allow attorneys to conduct remote depositions, both in the case of experts as well as witnesses.
According to Jim Sellers, a trial attorney representing clients in Southern Washington and Northern Oregon, video conferencing platforms like Zoom, GoTo Meeting, Google Meet, WebEx, BlueJeans, Zoho Meeting, Slack, Jitsi and others have changed the traditional legal proceedings in the United States, in particular remote deposition.
Throughout the country, especially since COVID, in some jurisdictions, trials have been allowed to take place with a virtual jury. This allows jurors to participate in the trial from their own homes. Some have claimed that this may reduce the ability to properly assess witness credibility and read body language effectively, and yet others claim that this is very convenient and help trial law.
According to Mr. Jim Sellers, a 40+ years Washington/Oregon trial attorney from Sellers Law Office in Vancouver, WA, “remote depositions can be particularly useful in personal injury cases where witnesses and experts may be located in different parts of the country. I handle cases that involve truck accidents and in these cases, a careful investigation through remote depositions can be critical to my case. In one case, investigation through remote deposition revealed that there had been an ongoing mechanical problem with the truck, and the driver and his supervisor had repeatedly ignored a check-engine light and audible alarm, and hence the truck went into limp mode (or engine de-rated mode) meaning that the truck’s speed was electronically limited to 5 miles per hour. When the problem related to the fault code is not timely addressed, the truck will inevitably lose power, and may cause an accident”.
Mr. Sellers is not the only attorney that finds video conferencing convenient. There are many advocates of using video conferencing platforms as they believe it may make it easier to introduce electronic evidence in personal injury trials, whereby attorneys can share documents and exhibits with witnesses and experts through the platform, facilitating an easier method to present evidence in a concise and organized manner. Additionally, injured plaintiffs who cannot travel to the courthouse can present testimony through a virtual platform.
There are, however, several concerns about the use of virtual platforms by trial attorneys relating to their potential impact on the fairness of the trial process. In particular, one of the main concerns is to do with virtual proceedings and the potential risk of technical difficulties. Internet connection problems, video and audio quality issues, and other glitches could disrupt the proceedings, making it difficult to hear and understand testimony or to present evidence. “It may not seem so, but this could have a significant impact on the fairness of the trial”, according to Mr. Jim Sellers.
Some attorneys, judges, and jurors may not be as familiar with virtual platforms as other parties involved may very well be. This could create a technological barrier for some participants., and therefore impact the ability of some participants to effectively present their case or assess evidence. Also, there is potential for distractions during virtual proceedings where participants may be more prone to distractions, such as emails or text messages, which could detract from their ability to focus on the trial proceedings.
In conclusion, video conferencing platforms like WebEx, BlueJeans, Zoho Meeting, Slack, Jitsi, Zoom, GoTo Meeting, Google Meet, and others are changing injury trials by making them more accessible and efficient, but there are also concerns about the effectiveness of virtual proceedings, remote depositions, and document exchange. And despite the fact that virtual platforms have provided a solution to some of the logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been concerns about their potential impact on the fairness of the trial process.
For questions or concerns regarding your case and the use of video conferencing platforms in your particular case, contact Mr. Jim Sellers, Personal Injury Trial Attorney Vancouver WA, representing Washington and Oregon states, at Sellers Law Office or call (360) 695-0464.
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