Blog Post

Zoom Court Tips for Clients

juliequinn • Jun 30, 2020

I wanted to give you a couple quick Zoom court tips for clients.  Over the past month, we have been doing almost all our court appearances by Zoom. Zoom is proving to be quite convenient for lawyers and clients alike when it comes to shorter court appearances. For that reason, I think it is here to stay.

To get the most out of your Zoom court appearance, here are a couple of easy tips you should know:

1. Know how to mute yourself.

This is my number one tip and for good reason. You can certainly make a nuisance of yourself if you bring unnecessary background noise to the proceeding.

On one recent Zoom court appearance, there were several cases on the docket. One party (not my client) was participating from work. That is great and shows how Zoom court can really benefit clients. Imagine, instead of taking a half day off for

The microphone and video are both turned off on this Zoom meeting. See the red lines through the microphone and video camera.

court, you might be able to just take a 10 minute break to handle your court matter. Unfortunately this particular person had not learned how to mute their microphone. Their workplace had a loudspeaker that broadcast music and voices constantly. This person was outside and the sound of the wind whistled in the background. It made it very hard  to hear what was happening in the other cases.

In another session, one mom was yelling obscenities to those near her while on a Zoom court session. Talk about a bad look!

The good news is that it is very easy to mute your microphone until it is time to speak. Look for the white microphone icon on the bottom of your screen. Tap on it and it will change to having a red line through it. If you tap it again, the red line will disappear and you will be able to be heard.

Even if your environment is not particularly noisy, it is a good idea to mute yourself until it is your turn to speak. In meetings in which there might be 10-15 people waiting for their turns, even common background noises like the air conditioning can add up to a whole lot of static.

 

2. Add your name when you log in.

It is a nice touch to add your name when you log in. When you are on the screen to enter the meeting ID, you will have a chance to add your name. This will help the judge and the other participants know who you are and why you are there.

Add your name on this screen to make things easier for the judge.If you don’t add your name, it will probably be a generic description of your phone or device like “Moto 7” or “iPad.”

Add your name on this screen to make things easier for the judge.

If you are involved in a proceeding that is confidential, you do not need to add your name if you do not feel comfortable. Often times the court session will start with a large group and break out to smaller confidential sessions. If you do not want those in the larger group to see your name, you do not have to add it.

 

3. Know how to start and stop your video.

Similar to tip #1, it can be helpful to know how to turn your video off and on. Just like turning your microphone off and on, there is a small video camera button that you can toggle off and on.

Why would you want to turn your video off? You might want to turn your video off when you are just waiting for your case to be called. We do not necessarily need to see you smoking a cigarette or drinking your coffee while you wait for your case to be called.

Also, in some sessions, we work with the video feed off for everyone except the person testifying. When there are too many people on a session with video feed, sometimes the quality of the audio is reduced to the point in which there are delays and skips.

 

4. Learn how to send a chat and be careful who you send it to.

When you click the three dots that say “More,” these are the options you will see.

If you click on the three little dots that say “More,” you will see an option for chat. If you and your attorney are in separate locations, this can be a handy way to share quick bits of information. (You may want to confirm that your lawyer knows about this function.)

Make sure that you select only the person you want to send the chat to. The default option is “Everyone” and there are certainly messages that you will want to send that you do NOT want “Everyone” to read.

 

5. Watch out for interference.

If you are planning to Zoom in the same location with others who are on the same Zoom meeting, make sure that you can be far enough apart from them that there will not be feedback from their devices.

Like anything, if in doubt, practice.

You can download the free app and start a Zoom meeting with a friend or family member if you want to get a feel for how this works. Your free Zoom session will be limited to 40 minutes

Make sure you click “Everyone” and re-select only the person you want to send the chat message to.

but it will give you a change to learn how to mute your microphone, send a chat and get a general feel for how this works.

Questions? Post a comment and I will do my best to answer.

If you have questions about Zoom in general, their frequently asked question section can be found here.

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