Orange — Guidelines for Remote Proceedings

Source: https://www.occourts.org/system/files/general/guidelinesforremoteproceedings9-7-22.pdf

Superior Court of California County of Orange

GUIDELINES FOR REMOTE APPEARANCES

Please bear in mind that remote proceedings are official court proceedings. All participants must maintain appropriate demeanor and decorum at all times.

Inability or failure to participate appropriately via remote may result in the hearing being continued to an in-person hearing.

These guidelines are not intended to supersede specific policies/procedures adopted by individual Departments.

Preparing for the Remote Appearance

1. Participants must wear appropriate courtroom attire for all appearances.

2. Participants must be in a private, quiet location, without disruptions or distractions. Cell phones must be on silent mode and may not be viewed or used during the session.

3. Participants’ cameras must be positioned to assure their face is fully visible.

4. Participants should consider what is visible in the background of their remote meeting location.

5. Participants may consider using headphones to reduce feedback and improve audio quality.

6. Participants should test their cameras and audio in advance of the hearing.

7. Participants may not appear from a moving vehicle and may not eat or drink during the proceeding.

8. Any form of recording of the proceeding is strictly prohibited.

Checking In

1. Check in 5-10 minutes before the hearing time. Some courts review the check-ins before the hearing and may not know of your presence if you check in just before your case is called.

2. Attorneys with more than one case on a single calendar must check in separately for each case.

3. If multiple attorneys appear from the same firm, each attorney must check in separately.

4. For Unlimited, attorneys must check in under their firm’s name or their own name, NOT the

   name of the party they represent. If you do not see your name or the name of your firm, check in as “Other” and insert your name.

5. For Complex, type in your first and last name in the Attendee Name field. Next, Select your role in the case from the drop down, such as Attorney, Plaintiff, Defendant, or Court Reporter. If you are an attorney, please fill out the Attorney for field by providing who you represent, for example: Defendant, John Doe. If you are not an attorney, please leave this field blank. If you are an attorney, or are appearing as a representative of a company, please provide the name of the firm or company in the next field.

   If you encounter any technical issues while checking-in

   through the remote appearance portal, please clear your browsing data. For further instructions on how to do so, please click here.

6. Participants must ensure the participant name shown on the screen is their own name (not, e.g., “John’s IPhone” or the name of a person whose computer the participant is using).

7. Remember that when your microphone and camera are on, everyone can see and hear you,

even if the Court takes a recess. Take care to mute your phone and camera when appropriate. 8. If you should unexpectedly become disconnected from the hearing, rejoin the meeting through the same link. The clerk will re-admit you. If unsuccessful, you may phone the department.

During the Hearing

1. When your case is called, turn on both your audio and video. In calling a busy calendar, it can be difficult for the court to keep track of attorneys who do not visibly appear on screen.

2. Be mindful of the “chat” feature; court staff may try to contact you during the hearing using this feature.

   Rev. 9/7/22