A Note by Austin Bull
Download the full note here.
On October 28, 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s new focus on the “metaverse.”[1] Facebook and its counterparts now belong to Meta Platforms, Inc. and will emphasize and move toward a virtual reality future.[2] This novel endeavor came about a year and a half after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world to adapt to new, remote mediums.[3] Digital landscapes became an immediate necessity rather than a distant, futuristic concept.[4] Many industries were affected; the legal sector was no exception.[5]
In an unprecedented fashion, law firms and courtrooms alike moved entirely remote.[6] For the first time, depositions, hearings, and even entire trials were conducted by video conference from participants’ homes.[7] Attorneys and their clients no longer commuted to an office but instead conducted their business through programs such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.[8]
[1] Kim Lyons, Facebook Just Revealed Its New Name: Meta, Verge (Oct. 28, 2021, 2:19 PM), https://www.theverge.com/ 2021/10/28/22745234/facebook-new-name-meta-metaverse-zuckerberg-rebrand.
[2] Id.
[3] See Richard Eisenberg, Is Working from Home the Future of Work?, Forbes (Apr. 10, 2020, 2:44 PM), https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2020/04/10/is-working-from-home-the-future-of-work/?sh=447c189346b1 (discussing the transition to remote work during the coronavirus pandemic).
[4] See id.
[5] See, e.g., Sam Skolnik, New York Bar Advises That Firms Be Cautious About Reopening, Bloomberg Law (May 13, 2020, 5:41 PM), https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/new-york-state-bar-releases-law-firm-reopening-plan.
[6] See, e.g., Robert Barnes, Supreme Court Takes Modest but Historic Step with Teleconference Hearings, Wash. Post (May 4, 2020), https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-teleconference-hearings-bookingcom/2020/05/03/f5902bd6-8d76-11ea-a9c0-73b93422d691_story.html.
[7] See, e.g., Jake Bleiberg, Texas Court Holds First US Jury Trial via Videoconferencing, ABC News (May 22, 2020, 12:31 AM), https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/texas-court-holds-us-jury-trial-videoconferencing-70825080.
[8] See Which Video Conferencing Tool Is Best for Lawyers?, Law. Monthly (May 6, 2020), https://www.lawyer-monthly.com/2020/05/which-video-conferencing-tool-is-best-for-lawyers/.