Lawyers occasionally send the courts and one another notices of unavailability, in which a lawyer says that he or she will be on vacation, or in another trial, or recovering from surgery for a certain period. By rule or professional courtesy, the courts and opposing counsel won't schedule hearings or depositions during the periods when the lawyer is not available.
The federal and state courts in Washington must have been surprised to receive a notice of unavailability this week, not from lawyers in a case but from UW Medicine, the hospital system affiliated with the University of Washington. The notice states that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, until at least April 27 all medical professionals employed by UW Medicine will be unavailable to participate in any regularly-scheduled legal proceeding. In a polite way, UW Medicine has told the legal system that it's going to put treating patients and keeping its staff healthy above going through old files, sitting in depositions, and showing up for hearings.
Most of the judges and lawyers of our sister state will agree that UW Medicine is in line with our national priorities. I predict, however, that at least one tone-deaf attorney will file a motion to compel someone from UW Medicine to attend some legal proceeding, and I hope the court that hears the blithe lawyer's motion orders him or her into quarantine.
You can read the full text of UW Medicine's letter to the courts below the break. UW was thorough and also sent its notice to the state and local bar associations, the attorney general, the King County prosecuting attorney, and the public defender.
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