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.’
