A View from the Bench: Decorum, Ethics, and Civility During the Age of Remote and Hybrid Court
(RECORDED)
This course is not a substitute for the Rule 1.14 Professionalism Course.
This program is a recording of the Live Seminar held on August 2, 2023.
If you attended the live seminar and received credit, then you cannot claim credit for watching this recorded program.
Summary:
A lot has changed since the pandemic and the shift from traditional courtroom to a remote-hybrid courtroom.
Join us for a “view from the bench” in regards to courtroom decorum, ethics and professionalism expected in the modern-day courtroom. Great information for those new to Remote Hearings or those who want a refresher and earn your ethics CLE credit for the year!
Moderator:
First Circuit Deputy Chief Judge Melanie M. May, District Court of the First Circuit
Melanie May was appointed by Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald to the District Court of the First Circuit in 2011, and has served as Deputy Chief Judge since 2020. She has presided over the civil, criminal, and traffic calendars at each of the District Courts on Oahu (Ewa, Honolulu, Kaneohe, Wahiawa, and Waianae) and the DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) Court.
Prior to serving on the bench, Judge May was a partner at Marr Jones & Wang LLLLP, where she practiced employment and labor law. She received her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and her bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University.
Judge May had never used Zoom, WebEx, or any other videoconferencing application prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge May is grateful to the District Court judges and staff who took a leap of faith in piloting remote hearings during the first few months of the pandemic, and who refined the remote and hybrid hearing process to better meet the needs of the public and improve access to justice.
Speakers:
Judge Brian A. Costa, Circuit Court of the First Circuit
Brian A. Costa is a District Family Court Judge in the Family Court of the First Circuit, State of Hawai‘i. He received his undergraduate degree from Hawai‘i Pacific University in 1998, and his Juris Doctor degree from the William S. Richardson Law School in 2001. He was appointed to the bench in February 2015 as a per diem (part-time) judge in the family district court by Chief Justice Recktenwald, and was later appointed as a full-time judge in June 2017. He has previously served as the lead judge of the Domestic Division, and he is currently the lead judge of the Juvenile Division. Judge Costa has also been the presiding judge for Juvenile Drug Court since December 2017.
Prior to being appointed as a judge he was employed at Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel as an associate attorney, he was a deputy prosecuting attorney for the city & county of Honolulu, a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Simeon Acoba, Jr., and a lawyer in private practice at his own firm, Costa & DeLacy, LLLC.
Judge M. Kanani Laubach, District Court of the Third Circuit
M. Kanani Laubach was appointed by Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald as judge of the District Family Court of the Third Circuit (Island of Hawai’i) on August 10, 2016. She was later appointed as interim Deputy Chief Judge effective on June 1, 2019. As of June 26, 2020, Judge Laubach was assigned as Deputy Chief Judge of the District Court of the Third Circuit. Judge Laubach currently serves on various committees which help to forward the mission of the Judiciary, as an independent branch of government, to administer justice in an impartial, efficient, and accessible manner in accordance with the law.
Prior to serving on the bench Judge Laubach worked as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the City and County of Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney in the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor, Misdemeanor Jury Demand, and Felony Trials divisions from 2003-2006. She then served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the County of Hawaii Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, where she worked on criminal cases in District, Family, and Circuit Court. In 2007, she joined the Violent Crime Unit and was tasked with prosecuting violent crime cases ranging from child sex assault to homicide from 2006-2010. Judge Laubach entered private practice in 2011 handling cases involving criminal, family, and civil litigation/collection matters. Judge Laubach graduated from the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law in 2003, and was admitted to the Hawaii State Bar the same year. She is also a graduate of Chaminade University of Hawaii where she received a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology in 2000.
Judge James R. Rouse, Circuit Court of the Second Circuit
James R. Rouse was sworn in as a District/Family Court Judge in March 2021. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Deputy Attorney General practicing in the Family Law Division. Judge Rouse served as a Deputy Public Defender for roughly 19 years with some time in private practice focusing on family and criminal law. Judge Rouse received his law degree from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
Credit: This seminar qualifies for 1 CLE Ethics Credit.
Cost: $60
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This seminar will be available in your classroom to view for 1 year from the date of purchase OR until August 2, 2025 which ever comes sooner.
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Questions? Please contact HSBA CLE Department at 537-1868 or [email protected].