Federal Criminal Plea via Zoom

We recently did a first for our practice. We did an entire federal criminal plea by Zoom.

There were 7 people on the Zoom meeting to do this. Michael O’Shea (attorney for the defendant) from his home, the Defendant (an illegal alien in a federal holding facility), the Judge (in the Courtroom), the Judge’s bailiff (from her home), the probation officer (from the probation department), the interpreter (from her home) and the court reporter (from her home.

We even had a defendant who did not speak English (thus the need for the interpreter). Nevertheless, we were able to complete the plea almost as easily as if we were in the Courtroom.

This could very well be the norm in the future – even after the end of COVID.