How Court Closures in Maryland & Virginia Could Affect Your Case

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused mass disruptions in people’s daily lives throughout the United States, including across Maryland and Virginia. In order to stem the tide of this outbreak, public places have been ordered to close. These closure orders also resulted in Maryland and Virginia shutting down their courts in late March.

Below, we’ve provided important updates regarding our continuing efforts to provide effective legal services as court closures remain in place. If you need assistance with criminal or civil litigation, do not hesitate to contact Portner & Shure, P.A. for a private, confidential consultation.

Maryland Court Closures & Scheduled Re-Openings

Currently, Maryland courts are scheduled to reopen on June 8, 2020. This date is tentative and may change. Base on the information we have been receiving from the Maryland State Government and the courts, any re-opening is likely be a “phased” re-opening. What this means is that the first matters to be addressed will be emergency hearings and preliminary criminal matters. Along with this, the courts are going to be scheduling fewer trials each day in order to reduce the amount of people in the courthouses.

With regards to trial dates for our criminal clients, these matters are likely to be heard in July or August. With regards to trial dates for our personal injury clients, these matters are likely to be heard in September or October.

Virginia Court Closures & Current Procedures

Virginia courts are currently operating at a reduced capacity. However, the courts are hearing non-emergency matters by phone. There is no current date for when Virginia courts will fully reopen. The most recent update we received is that all criminal and civil jury trials are indefinitely suspended.

Going Forward with Your Case

Trial dates are still being scheduled. Due to the fluid nature of this situation, please contact us at least one week prior to your scheduled trial date so that we can provide confirmation on whether or not the case will be heard on that date. Additionally, if you have not received any notice from our office regarding your trial date, please call us for updated information.

At Portner & Shure, P.A., we are still continuing to work on our clients’ cases. Our offices are open, however, we are not conducting in-person meetings.

Please feel free to contact us online or by phone to schedule a virtual appointment today.