Remote courtroom proceedings and virtual trials are our new reality for the foreseeable future, as courts in New Jersey and elsewhere begin the process of reopening and tackling backlogs created by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the whole world seems to have changed in the space of a couple of months, one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of ensuring that a client’s confidential information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

The COVID-19 public health crisis—which has shuttered courthouse doors in New Jersey and across the country—is causing courts and lawyers to embrace technology, including live-streaming court proceedings; video-conferencing with judges, litigants and witnesses; and even virtual trials. This situation has created entirely new challenges for attorneys who must zealously represent their clients in a public forum that is far more public than ever before.