Appellate Innovations

30 Apr The Future of Trial Practice in New York State

Posted at 15:59h in Appellate Innovations, Blog by Eric Larke 0 Comments

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(2.5 minutes to read) A few weeks ago, the Future Trials Working Group of the Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York Courts released a report. Here, the Working Group made recommendations as to how trials would be conducted in the upcoming months and years using emerging technologies. While the pandemic has posed many challenges this past year for courts across New York state, it has also reinforced the importance of technology. This unprecedented time has imposed a new normal as to how virtual proceedings and communications within the court system will be conducted moving forward.

This Report is one of many important resources released by the Commission to Reimagine the Future of New York Courts. A few suggestions in the report can serve to aid the Appellate Courts in conducting technologically efficient proceedings:

The Unified Court System — otherwise known as UCS — should seek to partner with a major internet service provider to ensure that all courtrooms in the state of New York are provided with secure and reliable internet.

The UCS should set forth a policy as to when, and how, parties to a proceeding may supply their own individual courtroom technology.

Such rules should be developed to ensure that technology, brought in from the outside, does not disrupt court proceedings, is secure, and does not provide an unfair advantage.
The UCS should study cost-efficient ways that courtrooms can become more adaptable to outside technology. One way would be by implementing training courses for court staff to ensure that courtroom technology, rules, and procedures are consistent.

The Working Group reports are significant in that they continue to educate, and outline a clear path for courts to navigate during these uncertain times.

Click here to read Report and Recommendations of the Future Trials Working Group.

The information contained in this blog is provided for informational purposes only. This information should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this blog without seeking legal or other professional advice.