The initial reports from Remote Courts Worldwide, a collaborative project led by Professor Richard Susskind, which launched five weeks ago, suggest access to justice is being maintained by video and audio hearings during the pandemic, that accessible technology such as Zoom and Skype is being used and that there is transparency, with proceedings being made available online.
There are notable variations in formality, with the insistence of a senior Chinese judge that a sense of ritual be maintained contrasting with a laid-back Chilean arraignment hearing.
Finally, judges are being robust. A Court of Protection case in England went ahead on Skype because the judge felt it would be too risky to convene conventionally. In Australia, meanwhile, a judge supported an applicant’s argument that a fair trial could not in that particular case be held by video.
Professor Susskind said the project, having gathered news and information, is now entering its second phase, and will be inviting feedback about how remote courts are working in practice.
‘This second phase of our service is vital―to find out what is working well and what is not,’ he said.
‘Remote courts are here to stay and we must work hard, in light of concrete experience, to improve their performance.’
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