Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, attorneys can now officially petition Commercial Division judges to participate in court conferences and oral arguments via videoconferencing, thanks to a rule change spearheaded by the Commercial Division Advisory Council.

The new rule, which entered the planning stages before the pandemic’s onset, allows attorneys to request permission to appear remotely on a showing of good cause. However, remote participation is not required, and individual judges retain the discretion to decide whether to grant or deny the requests.