Board on Professional Responsibility Conducts Oral Arguments and Hearings Via Zoom
June 22, 2020
The D.C. Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility issued Administrative Order 2020-6 on June 11, 2020, addressing ongoing efforts in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Administrative Order 2020-05 had previously canceled in-person proceedings through July 1, 2020, and established that oral arguments before the Board and limited hearings before the Hearing Committees on negotiated discipline cases would proceed as scheduled via videoconference.
The present order stipulates that remote proceedings will be conducted on the Zoom platform with oral arguments livestreamed on the Board’s YouTube channel. The audio portion of Hearing Committee hearings will also be livestreamed. If audio or video connection issues are so severe that they might interfere with the fair administration of justice, proceedings will be postponed until a stable connection can be established or an in-person proceeding can be scheduled.
It is the responsibility of impacted parties to inform the court of disrupted communications. Information on participant protocols at the time of issuance can be viewed by clicking here. The Office of the Executive Attorney will periodically update these protocols via posting on the Board’s website.
The Board will continue to adjust procedures as circumstances warrant and will issue another order regarding changes and modifications after July 1.