Out of court – Jane Keir shares her views on remote justice in Spear’s Magazine

Jane Keir, partner in Kingsley Napley's Family & Divorce team, shares her views on remote justice in light of COVID-19 in Spear's Magazine in a letter to the editor.
 

I like paper. But since lockdown my IT skills have improved rapidly not least given the swift migration by the Family Justice System to remote access and virtual hearings."

The courts are still open for some cases where it is safe to do so. However thousands of applications are now taking place remotely every day across the country dealing with access to children and divorce cases amongst others."

The debate is in full swing as to what is being lost in terms of the face-to-face judicial assessment of a witness versus the advantages of a party being able to give evidence from the comfort of their home. However, without doubt the remote revolution has already delivered huge benefits to support the continuity of the courts and the justice system and it can surely deliver more in terms of accessibility and the saving of time and costs in future."

First published in Spear's Magazine, July 2020.

Further information

If you have any questions about family proceedings and remote justice in light of the impact of coronavirus, please contact a member of our team of family and divorce lawyers or click here to get started online and find out where you stand.

About the author

Jane Keir is a partner in the family and divorce team. She acts for equal numbers of men and women and many of her clients come from across the country and abroad, as well as London.  Much of her work involves an international element and she works with other lawyers, accountants, actuaries, financial advisers, wealth managers and investigators in order to provide a thorough and comprehensive service to her clients.