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16 June 2021
Issue: 7937 / Categories: Legal News , Technology , Covid-19 , Procedure & practice
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Press play for video hearings

An extra 750 courtrooms have been equipped to hold video-enabled hearings since the start of the pandemic, according to a HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) blog.

Pre-pandemic, about 2,300 rooms on the court estate had the required equipment.

Rosemary Rand, deputy director, Future Hearings, HMCTS, wrote that HMCTS has developed a video hearing service for the judiciary and court users, which is designed to ‘replicate the formality and gravitas of court and tribunal proceedings’. It is currently being used in tax, property and employment tribunals, is being tested in civil and family hearings, and will replace the current Cloud Video Platform as part of the courts reform programme.

Rand said: ‘We expect that video hearings will continue to be an integral part of a 21t century justice system’.

Both the Law Society and Bar Council firmly oppose the use of remote juries, warning the technology may alienate juries, raise security risks and cost more.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—David Abbott & Claire Keat

DWF—David Abbott & Claire Keat

Senior appointments in insurance services and commercial services announced

Clyde & Co—Nick Roberts

Clyde & Co—Nick Roberts

Aviation disputes practice strengthened by London partner hire

Ellisons—Marion Knocker

Ellisons—Marion Knocker

Residential property lawyer promoted to partnership

NEWS
Prosecutors will speed up preparations for charging hate crimes, under Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance issued in response to the surge in antisemitic incidents
Improvements to courts, tribunals and the wider justice system in the north are being held back by a lack of national and local collaboration, according to thinktank JUSTICE North
A family judge has criticised the prison authorities for mistakenly freeing a father who abducted his own son
The Law Society has renewed its calls for compensation for legal aid firms affected by the cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency (LAA)
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has secured a £10m penalty plus £4.8m in costs from manufacturer Ultra Electronics Holdings, under the terms of a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) for failure to prevent bribery
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