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6 ¦ APRIL 12, 2021 NEWS

¦ From UNCERTAINTY on PAGE 5 It’s not just attorneys that are feeling the effect of
Rechen, an attorney for 32 years. “The members of the uncertainties of when jury trials will start, it’s also
the criminal bar recognize the challenges the Judi- having an effect on their clients.
cial Branch faces, but they are also concerned about Andrew Garza, an attorney with Connecticut Trial
their clients not getting their constitutional right to Frim in Glastonbury, said, “The sooner we can put
a speedy trial. There is no real answer here and that in place a solution that gets us closer to business as
is the conundrum.” usual, the better off we and out clients will be.”
The Judicial Branch says it understands the frustra- Garza, a personal injury and workers’ compensa-
tion of Connecticut attorneys. tion attorney, noted he’s representing a woman se-
“The Judicial Branch’s sensitivity to the bar, the verely injured in a car accident. “She’d like to have
litigants and other stakeholders has been clear from her day in court and put this all behind her. The
the beginning,” Hebert said in a statement. “The insurance company is not budging. A combination
pandemic has been challenging to all involved, and of delay and injuries and COVID is a perfect storm
Connecticut is not unique—other court systems for a mental health crisis for some clients.”
are experiencing similar challenges.” Some attorneys say changes in the law could make
Hebert said the goal remains the things go smoother in the current
safety and health of all involved. COVID-19 landscape.
“Judge David Gold, chief ad- Noting the backlog of cases in
ministrative judge of criminal the system, Garza said: “The state
matters, is regularly consulting Legislature can help with some
with the chief State’s Attorney, the mechanisms for resolving cases.
chief public defender, and other Attorneys are expressing In Connecticut, for example, we
stakeholders in the effort to de- frustration and dismay have a non-binding arbitration
velop additional, more efficient over court backlogs and program for cases of less than
procedures to process the business $50,000. States like Washington
of the criminal courts, always with delays. and elsewhere have that thresh-

the goal of assuring the health and old at $100,000. Increasing the
safety of all of the participants in number here to $100,000 could
the process.” help the courts manage the jury
The federal courts have set a start trial backlog a little better” as
date for jury trials to begin on May more cases could be resolved in
3, the state courts have not set a non-binding arbitration.
start date for jury trials. New Haven solo practitioner Alexander Taubes said
Rechen said that “while many members would like he supports the Legislature “getting federal relief fund-
a start date, they also understand the situation is so ing that could ease up the logjam and allow the courts
fluid.” He said officials should consider ideas floating to hire more people and to schedule more cases.”
around the bar association and elsewhere, as they de- Beckert said that while the current times are chal-
cide how jury trials can move forward. lenging, “It’s a chance for everyone to learn what we can
“When we have jurors come to the courthouse, do to adapt good practices going forward. For example,
you will still have the issue of jurors sitting in Microsoft Teams has been fantastic and has saved us
close proximity to one another. There have been time from having to drive miles for pre-trials.”
discussions about having the jurors in a separate ¦

room because of COVID, but in doing that, their Robert Storace covers legal trends, lawsuits and
ability to judge the body language and cred- analysis for the Connecticut Law Tribune. Follow
ibility of witnesses being examined is impeded,” him on Twitter @RobertSCTLaw or reach him at
Rechen said. 203-437-5950.

CONNECTICUT
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