Richard Susskind-led platform comes as lawyers turn to tech to keep justice system functioning
A new online resource hub that aims to promote and develop the use of remote hearings in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has officially gone live this week.
The ‘Remote Courts Worldwide’, a global initiative spearheaded by Professor Richard Susskind, looks to help judges, lawyers, court officials, litigants and court technologists share their experiences of developing remote alternatives to traditional court hearings in physical buildings.
Court closures across the country have prompted the profession to turn to technology in a bid to keep the wheels of justice turning, with many lawyers now conducting hearings remotely via telephone, Skype and Zoom.
Last week the Supreme Court held its inaugural virtual court case via a web-based video conferencing system (see below), while a High Court trial was streamed live on YouTube for the first time on Friday.
In a joint statement, the organisers of Remote Courts Worldwide — the Society for Computers and Law, the UK LawTech Delivery Panel, and Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service — said:
“At remarkable speed, new methods and techniques are being developed. However, there is a danger that the wheel is being reinvented and there is unnecessary duplication of effort across the world. In response, Remote Courts Worldwide offers a systematic way of remote-court innovators and people who work in the justice system to exchange news about working systems, plans, ideas, policies, protocols, techniques, and safeguards.”
Susskind, president of the Society for Computers and Law, added: “It’s time to come together, globally, to accelerate the introduction of remote hearings by judges. We have no choice. Physical courts are closing. There’s little point in lamenting any lack of past investment nor in predicting that the technology will fail. Let’s make it happen. We must seize the moment and come together to accelerate the development of new ways of delivering just outcomes for court users.”
The uptick in remote hearings has created some unique (and very unusual) situations. Take 2 Hare Court barrister Merry van Woodenberg for example, who earlier this month secured a victory in the Court of Appeal from the comfort of her own living room. “Surreal doesn’t cover it,” she tweeted.
Update: I have just won a case in the Court of Appeal from my own living room. Surreal doesn’t cover it.
— Merry VW (@merryVW) March 19, 2020