Judge urges online court hearings in ‘change of culture’

A SENIOR judge has called for court hearings to be handled online as he suggested the system needed a “change of culture”.

Sir Geoffrey Vos, who specialises in business litigation, said new technology had provided “several available options” to traditional trials.

The judge, who heads the Chancery Division of the High Court, said there was “no reason” why lawyers could not “log on” and make submissions online.

He aired his thoughts at a debate about lawyers’ use of new technology organised by The Foundation for Science and Technology, which is based in London.

Sir Geoffrey said he was speaking in the context of “business” litigation. “We need to make a very careful evaluation of when we really need physical hearings with a judge, the parties and their lawyers, and the witnesses all in attendance in the same place at the same time,” he said.

“There will, I am sure, always be the need for some real-time court hearings, but I think there are a number of technological options to reduce the occasions on which they are required in order to achieve justice.”