Mr Justice Teare said interlocutory hearings have continued on the dates fixed, Friday lists were as busy as before lockdown, and trials involving live witnesses were still being held with witnesses from Kazakhstan, Begium, the US and other countries.
Teare J reported that only four trials have not been able to proceed for practical reasons since lockdown began, the reasons being illness or lockdown in a remote location without reliable wifi access.
Mrs Justice Cockerill said there has been no downturn in court business―instead there has been a slight upturn in actions commenced.
According to the committee, 13 courts in the Rolls Building can be used for live hearings, with five or six legal representatives present as well as three or four representatives at the back. Two of the courts can accommodate up to ten legal representatives.
Cockerill J said judges, court staff and users are ‘actively thinking’ about whether to keep remote (or even hybrid) hearings as ‘a default position or at least an often used option for some types of hearings post Covid’.
The disclosure pilot has been extended by a year.
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