MEMORANDUM

TO:         Ms. Katie Baluha   President, Saginaw County Bar Association

FROM:   Judge Andre R. Borrello   10th Circuit Court

cc:          Kelli Scorsone   Saginaw County Trial Court Judges

DATE:    April 8, 2020

RE:        Use of Zoom Technology for Attorneys and Court Proceedings

At Chief Judge Jackson’s request, I am sending this information regarding Zoom technology.  Please send to all members of the Saginaw County Bar Association and any other attorneys you know who practice in the Saginaw County Trial Courts.

In response to the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Supreme Court have issued a number of orders that govern how we deliver services in the Saginaw County Trial Courts.  These orders and guidance seek to ensure everyone’s protection, including parties, counsel, staff and everyone involved in court proceedings.

To the extent that court proceedings continue to be conducted, courts have been utilizing the Zoom application/technology for use with desktop and laptop computers, tablets and smartphones.  Zoom allows for participants to appear virtually.  Judges, staff and other participants have been trained on Zoom and have “hosted” court proceedings and will continue to do so for the next several weeks.

In an effort to assist counsel who “attend” remote court proceedings via Zoom, I have put together this list of resources.

General Information for Use of Remote Technology in Michigan Courts https://courts.michigan.gov/News-Events/Pages/COVID-19.aspx  

Getting Started with Zoom https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362033-Getting-Started-with-Zoom  

Downloading the Zoom App (The app is better and easier than going through a web browser) https://zoom.us/download  

How to join a Zoom meeting https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting  

List of Tutorials on How to Use Zoom https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/03/18/quick-info-how-to-zoom-new-videos/