Australia Lawyers Weekly reports…
In the “Virtual hearings: Empirical evidence from our global experience” report, DLA Piper global co-chair of litigation and regulatory Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry and global international arbitration practice manager and of counsel Ben Sanderson wrote that some “unquestionably outdated” aspects of the legal profession have needed changing for years.
THE REPORT – CLICK IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD PDF
“But lawyers don’t tend to be good with change. It unsettles their need for certainty and predictability. Our clients, though, have no such insecurities; technology and change are as much staples of boardroom discussion as turnover and profit. The reason is simple, no business – law firms included – can hope to survive standing still. For many businesses, though, change may not be enough; radical change may be what is needed,” the pair wrote.
Clients for BigLaw firms, as well as their corporate counsel, may worry that virtual hearings could lead to a “lesser or compromised form of justice”, and some may worry that fundamental human rights to be heard will be put at risk if in-person hearings become a thing of the past.
But, on the other hand, there are myriad benefits for clients to the emergence and mainstreaming of virtual hearings, Mr Douglas-Henry and Mr Sanderson surmised.
