As Massachusetts state courts grapple with shutdowns and cancellations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a lack of widespread online filing and limited use of video and phone conferencing could make an already-backlogged docket even worse.
Erik Paul Belt of McCarter & English LLP said lawyers could ease a bad situation by using the time as productively as possible, including “writing deposition outlines and doing some of the grunt work needed before you go in to argue a motion.”
“With depositions being put on hold, lawyers who were planning to sit in a conference room all day now have the time to sit and think about the arguments they are going to make and the merits of the case,” Belt said. “That’s the kind of thing that can help reduce the backload.”