"One male lawyer appeared shirtless"
Working from home can mean taking a few shortcuts, one judge has reminded lawyers that they must adhere to working conditions even if they are at home.
A judge in Florida has written a letter to lawyers in his district to remind them to obey to hearing conduct.
The letter asked judges to get out of bed and dress appropriately before video calling into online hearings.
Judge Dennis Bailey began holding video call hearings to stop the spread of Covid-19.Unfortunately not everyone was taking the hearings seriously and Judge Bailey had to issue a warning letter.
The letter, which was posted to the Weston Bar Association website told barristers that hearings which are conduct outside of the court is no excuse to not dress appropriately.
UPI.com reported that Judge Bailey said :
"It is remarkable how many attorneys appear inappropriately on camera,"
"We've seen many lawyers in casual shirts and blouses, with no concern for ill-grooming, in bedrooms with the master bed in the background, etc. One male lawyer appeared shirtless and one female attorney appeared still in bed, still under the covers."
"And putting on a beach cover-up won't cover up you're poolside in a bathing suit. So, please, if you don't mind, let's treat court hearings as court hearings, whether Zooming or not,"
The judge believes virtual hearings should be treated just like regular hearings.
