Remote Hearings in the Family Court

After the country was put into Lockdown in March 2020, the courts in England and Wales had to find a way to make sure they could continue to hear court cases, but at a time when we weren’t able to meet in court buildings.

Radical upgrades were made to ensure that Court Hearings could continue either by way of telephone or video conferencing. Now we are out of lockdown, a lot of family court cases continue to be heard in this way and it something that seems certain to stay.  So what can you expect, and is it a good thing?

The good news is that remote hearings have meant that court time is used more efficiently.  You will be given a precise start and finish time for your Hearing, which means no waiting around at Court (making the whole experience cheaper if you have a solicitor or barrister with you) and this also means that the time spent is much more focused. Remote hearings almost always start on time!

There is a much greater emphasis on discussions between lawyers before and after hearings so that the time before the Judge can be used more efficiently. From personal experience at Harrowells we are seeing the number of issues reduced as a result, as well as increase in cases settling earlier than they ever have before.

All of this means that situations are being resolved quicker, and legal costs are reducing.

So what should you expect if you have a remote hearing in your case?  

The judge and the lawyers will all have a digital copy of the court papers (known as the Court Bundle), joining instructions for the hearing will be sent to you in advance so you need to make sure you are set up with the right technology and are somewhere quiet and private. The Judge will then start the Hearing and the lawyers will explain what has been agreed, and what the remaining issues are. 

A top tip from us is to ask for a copy of the Bundle so you can see what documents are being referred to, and to make sure that if you are in a different room from your lawyers you have WhatsApp group set up so that you can keep in touch throughout.

Find out more about how our family law and divorce lawyers can help you.