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EXPERT OPINIONS JUNE 15, 2020 ¦ 43

One challenge we had involved teams of students These foibles haven’t all be limited to my law
arguing cross summary judgment motions before classes. During a grievance hearing I tried a few
several judges. All of that got moved into Web-x weeks ago, where we had witnesses and parties
“rooms,” about the same time SCOTUS tried phone from three states on a large screen in the court-
arguments, and courts around room, one of the grievance
the country began experiment- committee members asked what
ing with the same thing. The background noise she was hear-
first iterations had no shortage ing. One of the litigants was
of glitches, from the sublime to unmuted and playing video
the ridiculous. Do you stand Distance learning is now games on her laptop while she
when a judge enters the virtual waited to testify. Some red faces
courtroom? If you do, the screen the new normal for law with that one.
shows a bunch of belt buckles. As we finished our argu-
And folks forget that while they students, and It will remain
so for many years to come. ments and lingered in the

are waiting to argue, they’re still virtual courtrooms to debrief,
“in the courtroom” and visible I wished my students well and
to all. No time to be putting on assured them that the things
makeup, checking e-mails or they were learning were not
Facebook or eating donuts. theoretical, but instead were
Issues of lighting, avoiding the reflection of the leading edge of how clients, lawyers and
computer screens in eyeglasses and the chaos that courts are going to be working together for the
happens when two speakers try to have a spirited rest of their careers. Whether that’s good or bad
back-and-forth, such as litigants responding to a is not my call. All I know is we’ll save a lot on
hot bench, all challenged my young gladiators. A pants and socks.
colleague and I recorded an argument and asked ¦

the students to critique it. I was embarrassed to see Mark Dubois, Connecticut’s first chief disci-
that my hands, which I tend to wave about some plinary counsel, is with Geraghty & Bonnano
during arguments, look like a pair of demented pi- in New London and teaches at at the University
geons flying in and out of screen view. I’m going to of Connecticut School of Law. He can be reached
buy a pair of handcuffs. at [email protected].

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