You have probably heard the phrase ‘the New Normal’ in the news recently to describe different working arrangements all businesses have had to use due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The Family Law department at Nalders is no exception. We have had to assess how we work to comply with the social distancing and lockdown requirements. We are conducting meetings via Zoom or by telephone conferencing to prevent unnecessary travel or contact; some court hearings are also being conducted this way. Change is not new; change has been a constant throughout my time in the legal profession. So will these current changes stay with us once lockdown is over and the COVID 19 situation has passed?
In short, yes! It is most likely that some of these imposed new methods of working will indeed stay with us if it is considered there are advantages for staff and clients. The factors that will determine whether a remote working proposal is beneficial to you include flexible response, financial sense, time-saving and any impact on effectiveness. The evaluation of these factors will differ depending on what legal service you need. So for some initial meetings or direction hearings a virtual encounter could work better for you than a face to face one because it is flexible (it can be held at a convenient time of day), it can save money (reducing travel costs), it can save time (you will not have to travel) and it can be effective (facts can be discussed just as well online as face to face). However, there will definitely be circumstances where a review of these factors will indicate that a virtual meeting is not advisable. For example, some court hearings will not be suitable because of the complexity of the issues in the case or because there is no stable internet provision. Furthermore some people will not communicate easily over an online connection or the judge might decide it is best to have all parties together to get a real overall impression of all the parties in a family law case. In short the approach will be that just because the meeting could work remotely this does mean that it has to be done remotely if there is concern that the quality of the outcome may be jeopardised.
Each case will have to be assessed on its own merits. We will at Nalders do our best to accommodate you. The family team have successfully conducted many remote court hearings. We will be able to reassure you of the process and good practice.