Legal proceedings have traditionally been in-person activities, with counsel, parties, witnesses, and the judge, arbitrator or mediator all physically present. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has drastically changed these processes. Cases can no longer occur in-person with everyone present together in the same room.

Due to the strict social distancing requirements and limitations on how many individuals are allowed to be present in a given space at once, the legal community has migrated its proceedings towards an approach more suited to allow compliance with all applicable safety guidelines. In other words, proceedings are now primarily being conducted virtually. In fact, pre-trial steps such as interviews, depositions, and discoveries are also largely being conducted remotely.