The Virtual Courtroom: If Technology Wins, Do Clients Lose?

With masks and six-feet of distance becoming societal norms, Judge Alan Albright (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas) and Judge Eric Moyé (14th District Court in Dallas) explored the benefits and weaknesses of virtual technology vs. traditional in-person advocacy with Winston & Strawn’s Thomas Melsheimer.

Moderated by Natalie Arbaugh, the panelists also explored creative approaches to conducting civil jury trials during a pandemic and the legal and practical issues of virtual courtrooms.

Panelists
Judge Alan Albright is the federal district judge for the Western District of Texas, Waco Division. Judge Albright was nominated by President Trump and was sworn in on September 18, 2018. Under Judge Albright, the Western District of Texas has become a hotbed for patent litigation, seeing more new cases since Albright took office than the previous four years combined.

Judge Eric Moyé is the Presiding Judge of the 14th Civil District Court in Dallas County, Texas. He was first elected to this court in November 2008. In addition to his judicial service, Judge Moyé has more than 25 years of civil legal experience. Judge Moyé has been active in numerous professional organizations including membership in the State Bar of Texas, the State Bar of New York, the American Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Dallas Bar Association, the Panel of Arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association, the American Association for Justice, the American Judicature Society, and the Texas Bar Foundation.

Thomas Melsheimer is a trial lawyer and managing partner of Winston’s Dallas office. He has remarkably broad and extensive jury trial experience. He has tried civil cases involving patents, antitrust, securities fraud, product liability, breach of fiduciary duty, and energy. He has tried criminal cases involving health care fraud, bank fraud, public corruption, and kidnapping. He is described as “one of the most sought after trial lawyers in the country” by the publishers of The American Lawyer and “a celebrated storyteller” by the founder of The American Lawyer.

Natalie Arbaugh is a trial lawyer with a passion for top-notch client service, creative problem solving, and courtroom excellence. In her nearly 20-year career, she has tried numerous business and intellectual property cases, including high-profile and bet-the-company matters. Her extensive experience has led her to be recognized as Benchmark Litigation "Top 250 Women in Litigation," listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Business and Intellectual Property Litigation, selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list, and named a “Winning Woman” by Texas Lawyer magazine.

Watch the presentation here.

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A webinar is a complimentary interactive seminar over the Internet. You'll watch and listen to the presentation at your own computer.

Winston & Strawn LLP is an accredited CLE provider in California, Illinois, New York, and Texas.

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