Happy Monday, dear readers!

Your humble blogger is back from his sojourn and is finally resuming his duties as the humble blogger, a post left mournfully vacant for the last few weeks.

Well, the news I bring today isn’t happy news at all, at least as far as your humble blogger is concerned.  The Department of Industrial Relations has announced the return of in-person walkthroughs effective September 6, 2022 (except in Eureka), and the end of the LifeSize virtual walkthrough.

Next month, we will be doing our walkthrough as we did many years ago… putting on not just suit jackets and ties, but pants and socks and shoes as well.  We’ll also have to travel down to the boards themselves.

Of course, the option remains to e-file the settlements NOT as a walkthrough but your humble blogger must object to this shift.  Settlements are not meant to be contentious or litigation.  They represent a resolution of a dispute – musical chairs with enough chairs for each player; everyone’s a winner!

With remote walkthroughs, parties had an efficient way of getting settlements approved promptly.  This was done without the added cost of a physical appearance and travel.  It was done without the risk of spreading COVID, catching COVID, or adding to the statistics for car break-ins and spiraling violent crime in the Bay Area. 

Hopefully, the DIR will see that remote walkthroughs were significantly more efficient and ended up with more file closures and return to virtual walkthroughs.  At the very least, your humble blogger respectfully submits that virtual walkthroughs should remain an option.

The only bright side to all this, as far as your humble blogger is concerned, is that now we have the option to walk through more than just settlements – petitions to compel depositions and QME examinations are also open.  Further, appearing in San Francisco will give your humble blogger an excuse to visit the very best Chinese Food restaurant in the known world, Henry’s Hunan.

Your humble blogger is happy to be back, dear readers – thanks for sticking around to wait for me!