By Amanda Short
In early February you may recall a video of the infamous cat attorney spreading like wild-fire across social media platforms.[1] This video depicted exactly what lawyers and law students dread when using the Zoom platform. You set up your device in an area to ensure your background is professional, click the link to open the Zoom meeting, and then before you have a chance to make any last-minute changes you have an unplanned background or a filter covering your face. This accidental filter may lead to immediate embarrassment in a meeting, competition, interview, or better yet, during a hearing in front of a judge and opposing counsel.
Like any other day during in a pandemic world, Attorney Rod Ponton geared up for a civil forfeiture case hearing held over Zoom in Texas’ 394th Judicial District.[2] However, this case would not go as planned when Mr. Ponton joined the hearing only to see his screen portraying a filter of the cutest white kitten over his face.[3] In an interview with BBC, Mr. Ponton stated that before the hearing had started there was no cat filter over his face while in the waiting room, but once the case was called his face was replaced with the cat filter.[4]
The 394th Judicial District Court of Texas posted a clip of the hearing on its YouTube page.[5] This 42-second clip started with Judge Roy Ferguson stating “Mr. Ponton, I believe you have a filter turned on in the video settings.”[6] Mr. Ponton, still as a kitten, described that his assistant was trying to take off the filter and he was “prepared to go forward with it.”[7]The infamous line the legal community will remember from this video is “I’m here live. I’m not a cat.”[8] Mr. Ponton practiced as a cat attorney for about a minute before his team was able to remove the filter.[9]
Following the fame of the video clip, Judge Ferguson provided a piece of advice to attorneys practicing in a virtual setting.[10] Judge Ferguson stated that “YouTube hears all and never forgets,” so it is important that attorneys are aware that once a virtual hearing has ended the court is still able to see and hear the parties.[11] Judge Ferguson also applauded Mr. Ponton and the other attorneys for keeping a professional composure during the hearing.[12]
We can all appreciate the humor that arose from this filter mishap, but what can we do to ensure the same does not happen to us? A stable way to guarantee no virtual background or video filter appears when you are using Zoom is to turn off the settings that allow these functions. Follow these steps to disable the background and filter settings: (1) log into the Zoom platform; (2) access the settings option; (3) choose “In Meeting (Advanced Settings);” and (3) disable the function for virtual backgrounds and virtual filters.[13] Make sure your Zoom settings are set to “purrfection” before you enter any Zoom meetings!
[1] See 394th District Court of Texas – Live Stream, Kitten Zoom Filter Mishap, YouTube (Feb. 9, 2021), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxlPGPupdd8.
[2] See Daniel Victor, ‘I’m Not a Cat,’ Says Lawyer Having Zoom Difficulties, N.Y. Times (Feb. 9, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/style/cat-lawyer-zoom.html.
[3] See id.
[4] See Cat Zoom: Lawyer Rod Ponton surprised to become internet star, BBC (Feb. 10, 2021) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56009062.
[5] See 394th District Court of Texas – Live Stream, supra note 1.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] See Victor, supra note 2.
[10] See Meryl Cornfield et al., At first, cat lawyer was embarrassed. Then he realized we could all use a laugh., Wash. Post (Feb. 9, 2021, 9:18 p.m.), https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/09/cat-lawyer-zoom-filter.
[11] Id.
[12] See id.
[13] See How to Remove Your Cat Filter, Zoom Help Ctr., https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360056477312-How-to-Remove-Your-Cat-Filter (explaining how to remove a video filter once a person is already in a Zoom meeting).
Image Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/style/cat-lawyer-zoom.html