The Lord President, Lord Carloway has asked the Judicial Institute to organise a virtual conference to discuss how civil business might be conducted post pandemic.
The conference will provide a provide a forum for discussion among interested parties about how sheriff court and Court of Session business might be carried out when the pandemic is over, including how courts might operate once physical distancing measures are no longer required.
The Judiciary of Scotland press release states:
COVID 19 has forced significant changes on the justice system. A number of those changes have involved an increasing use of virtual technology, both video and telephone. Within a remarkably short time scale, SCTS has equipped a number of courts with the ability to conduct virtual hearings. Judges and practitioners have by and large engaged with these innovations.
Some of the new ways of working have, it may be thought, proved to be effective and efficient. The conference will provide an opportunity for those attending to exchange their experiences and evaluations of virtual and digital processes and to identify which would be worth retaining once the pandemic is controlled.
The conference will be an all-day event and is scheduled for 10 May 2021. Details of the conference arrangements will be released shortly.
There will be presentations by members of Faculty, Scottish judicial office holders, and solicitors as well as contributions from Professor Richard Susskind OBE and The Right Honourable Lord Justice Flaux.
The Lord President is seeking views from all relevant parties, which includes the media and members of the public.
After the conference, a report will be issued on the key issues which were addressed.