News
Virtual future for courts system
- 24th December 2010
Tomorrow’s litigation lawyers are increasingly likely to be involved in cutting edge video technology, with Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly announcing this week that the year-long pilot in virtual courts has worked.
Despite a report that has criticized the costs of the pilot, the government says it is worth developing the virtual courts process because video technology will still play an important part in the court process; and the pilot has been successful in reducing the average time, for example, from charge to first hearing and failure to appear rates.
Whilst the Law Society says it would be ‘wholly irresponsible’ to roll out virtual courts nationally, Djanogly insists on pressing ahead. He said: “The purpose of the virtual courts pilot was to test whether the process could work and whether it was worth further development. The evaluation has shown this to be the case. Virtual courts continue to operate for a trial period in existing locations with a rigorous focus on achieving value for money, improving the operating model and further evaluating their effectiveness.”
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