As a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a member of its Remote Oral Argument Task Force, Joel Bertocchi co-wrote two reports on the topic of remote arguments, based on what the organization’s members have learned after half a year of presenting virtually during the pandemic. The reports outline the hard truths about remote oral arguments and provide recommendations on how to effectively practice in the new medium.

The authors wrote, “Financially and attitudinally, appellate lawyers should treat video argument as a long-term and evolving condition. That means they should devote both the time and resources to present video argument effectively. Bench and bar owe themselves and the public concerted effort to deliver effective appellate justice that incorporates video argument and its technology.”