First, every Court is handling COVID differently. If you have a Court appearance and you are not represented by an attorney, call the Court clerk to be sure that you understand how to appear in Court.
In southwest Colorado, there is always an option to appear by phone or by WebEx. WebEx is a video conferencing app that allows the Judge to see you and you can see everyone as well. You can download the app for free and the Court clerk will give you the meeting ID number so that you can connect to the hearing.
You can also call into Court using a special phone number for WebEx. Each judge has his or her own meeting ID number. Again, you can get all of this information from the clerk.
When you are appearing in Court, it is extremely important that your phone or computer is muted at all times, unless the judge is directly speaking to you.
If you have an evidentiary hearing, it will be important to appear via video with WebEx. It can be very helpful to have an attorney during an evidentiary hearing so that the lawyer can introduce exhibits, examine witnesses, and make objections.
Under some circumstances, especially in criminal law, you may wish to be present in person. It is very important that you check with the court to be sure that it is permissible for you to appear in person.
Padilla Law has been representing clients by WebEx throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We are available to help you with your case and we are accepting new criminal defense cases at this time.