Virtual Hearings: 5 Tips for Success
Long before COVID-19 forced everyone to adjust the way we interact in public, the legal profession was increasing the practice of conducting virtual hearings for truck and car wreck depositions and mediations.
Technology makes them possible. Time and resource savings make them appealing. And a pandemic makes them necessary and expedient.
So, if you’re facing a virtual hearing related to a car or truck wreck, here are five tips to help you put your best case forward in this growing and popular method of recording testimonies.
1. Expect technical issues. Technical mishaps are a possibility, whether audio, visual, or otherwise electronic. And they can occur at the most inopportune times. Connections go down and equipment malfunctions. This can affect everything dependent upon them and potentially compromise the content and flow of an accident hearing. Even with the presence of attorneys.
2. Anticipate an impersonal interaction. There’s something about virtual events that lack the personality and interaction provided by an in-person exchange. A virtual hearing is no different. The recorded nature of the hearing can downplay the emotion and spirit that is provided in a live version.
3. Don’t relax too much: The absence of formality and an audience can create a relaxed environment that can diminish your professionalism and seriousness. You don’t want to inadvertently create a less-than-ideal atmosphere for quality results.
4. Keep your emotions in check. People react differently when being recorded or photographed, from being a camera hog to a hermit. Either end of this spectrum can result in an overplayed or underplayed car wreck testimony.
5. Avoid distractions. Courtrooms are a hotbed of activity with swarms of lawyers, judges, and witnesses. Reductions in all that commotion, chaos, and stress allow for a more relaxed, focused, and effective accounting of the wreck.
The effectiveness and availability of technology will continue to make virtual recording of trial depositions and mediations in truck and car accident cases an attractive option, with or without a pandemic.
Amy Witherite, founder and lead attorney of Witherite Law Group and 1-800-TruckWreck, concludes, “The key to success in a virtual hearing is to know the advantages and challenges of this growing medium and how to develop strategies, content, and a presentation style that will enable participants to reap the greatest benefits.”
The accident attorneys of Witherite Law Group help those who have been injured in a car or truck accident. Get legal help today by calling 1-800-CarWreck® or 1-800-TruckWreck or visiting www.WitheriteLaw.com/contact. We’re available 24/7.