Page 11 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2023

The Court is grateful to all those who contributed their time and expertise to conduct ADR during an incredibly challenging and disruptive time.
Expertise: Problem-Solving Courts and the CCLD
Over the last several years, the Court has developed expertise that enables it to better ser ve justice- involved persons, including those suffering from severe and persistent mental health issues and addiction, through “problem-solving courts.” In 1999, the Superior Court had only one problem-solving court — Drug Court. Today we have three more — Mental Health Court, Veterans Court, and Re-entry Court.14 These courts have yielded positive results, and we will continue to explore new ways to improve outcomes, reduce recidivism, and reduce the need for incarceration.
In 1999, the Superior Court had earned a reputation for “business-like handling of complex, national insur- ance coverage litigation . . .” and was recognized as “a national innovator in electronic filing.”15 Today, the Court’s Complex Commercial Litigation Di- vision (CCLD)16 is nationally recog- nized as the go-to court for high- dollar complex business disputes. I leave it to my dear friend and former colleague, Joe Slights, to discuss the CCLD in his article on page 18 be- cause he was instrumental in its cre- ation and was one of the first judges to serve on the CCLD panel.17
Innovation
By the end of FY1999, because of the forward thinking of President Judge Ridgely, a digital recording system was installed in one court- room in each county to record pro- ceedings for which a transcript re- quest was unlikely. Known as “For the Record,” or FTR for short, this technology was eventually installed
Today, the Court’s Complex Commercial Litigation Division (CCLD) is nationally recognized as the go-to court for high-dollar complex business disputes.
in all the courtrooms. No one could have foreseen that a global pandemic 20 years later and a shortage of court reporters would render this technol- ogy so critical to the operation of the Court during COVID-19.
As Chancellor McCormick notes, “[a]lthough the pandemic seems largely in our rearview, it has left a legacy on our work-a-day world: video streaming technology is now commonplace . . . Judicial officers frequently conduct fully remote and hybrid hearings . . .”18 So true. It also
serves as a stark reminder of the need for state-of-the-art technology and innovation. There was no playbook for COVID-19. Many of us did not even know what Zoom was in March of 2020. We improvised and adapted, and the many lessons we learned from that experience have left us wiser — especially when it comes to the im- portance of keeping our technology updated. We endeavor to keep our courtroom technology current and explore how we can use technology to improve the administration of justice.
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