‘To be blunt, remote hearings can boost their earnings potential,’ said Sir Geoffrey Vos MR of lawyers when delivering a speech on 17 September this year. He is absolutely correct, and that is a good thing. Practitioners are not charging more (although see below); they are getting more things done by using their time efficiently. Barrister Zoey White helpfully told me: ‘I’ve found that I can often agree a lower brief fee as I can do more than one hearing or other work in a day.’
Not having to get up at stupid o’clock and travel for hours at serious expense is such a good outcome. I confess that, while chairing a recent online conference, I was able to empty the dishwasher.
The Lord Chief Justice, as discussed in this magazine by Stephen Gold, has directed that there be a return to live hearings save in ‘exceptional and unavoidable circumstances’.
