One year on

It has been almost a year since litigants, courts and tribunals were forced to adopt “virtual” hearings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the message from the Lord Chief Justice is clear: “courts and tribunals must continue to function”.

In this article, we consider the reaction to the use of virtual hearings by the Courts of England and Wales and the response from arbitral institutions and trade associations. We also ask Max Lemanski, a partner in our offshore practice, to share his experience of virtual hearings during the pandemic and offer a view on whether there will remain a place for them in the post-pandemic world.

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