Should virtual hearings in the family court become the new norm?

The BBC has recently published an extensive news story on the impact of virtual hearings being used in the family court.

The Ministry of Justice is proud of the fact court business has continued throughout lockdown whereas in other countries in Europe it all came to a grinding halt.

If virtual hearings are going to become the norm there are clearly a number of long term issues which need to be looked at in order to ensure everyone who has to use the family court gets the correct assess to justice and are not forced to participate in a remote hearing, which are clearly not appropriate for their particular circumstances.

As with all technology there are successes and failures but people should not be put off by the recent changes. If court is the only way to resolve an issue because all other dispute resolution has failed, both the court and family practitioners (including our team at Barker Gotelee) are able to assist in the process.

Amanda Erskine is a solicitor in the Family department at Barker Gotelee Solicitors in Suffolk.

Ipswich Divorce Solicitors – for more information on our range of legal services, please call the team on 01473 611211 or email [email protected]