Future of Civil Courts conference papers published

A report has been published, along with the conference presentations, on the virtual Civil Justice Conference held on 10 May to discuss how civil court business might be conducted once the current pandemic is over.

The conference, organised by the Judicial Institute for Scotland at the request of the Lord President, Lord Carloway, was attended by 240 people from the media, judiciary, legal profession, and public.

Senior legal figures presented papers dealing principally with experience of remote hearings since the onset of the pandemic, their advantages and disadvantages, and the extent to which these should continue in the longer term.

The conference provided a forum for discussion of these issues. A new page, Civil Business Post COVID 19, has been created on the Scottish Courts & Tribunals website to host the conference publications, which will be updated to include any future related documents such as consultations or papers.

The results of three surveys conducted by the Judicial Institute, the Faculty of Advocates and the Law Society of Scotland seeking responses from the judiciary and the professions are also published.

Introducing the conference, the Lord President described it as “a focal point for beginning to consider the central question of what COVID-instigated methods of working should be retained and/or improved and which pre-COVID procedures, notably the in person hearing, should be reinstated”.

A feature on the conference was also published in this month's Journal.