So what will become the "New Normal" .... who knows ?

The last eight weeks or so has seen us all adopting some very different ways in which we are all working and the normal working ways and methods that have been ingrained and have become the norm for so many years seem a distant memory ... but what will become the "New Normal" for us all?

For my part, working remotely is very much part of my normal, however, these weeks have become very different for those I work with and observe the greater use of the technology to allow us all to link up easier and so much more effectively remains the biggest change I have seen. I have been an advocate of on-line meetings, video conferencing and skype calls for many years, however, the resistance from many, particularly from the lawyers who do not wish to part from the traditional has been frustrating to say the least. Much of the technology has been around for many years, it just hasn't been adopted in the ways we have seen over the recent weeks.

That said, the speed of how the whole the profession has responded, adapted and changed is dramatic. Whilst much of this of course has been forced upon us all in such unprecedented times, it has on the whole, from what I have seen, been widely embraced and welcomed, with online team and zoom meetings, online hearings and online dispute resolution to mention but a few.

In an effort to enage and very much join in, I have reached out to others during the last six weeks and invited them to a light hearted remote "Tea & Biscuits" session to gauge their thoughts and views as to how day-to-day things have really changed for them and what they are observing.

The discussions to date have included Amir Ali , Robin Somerville , Greg Hunt , Professor Stephen Hardy , Charlotte John , Samantha Lowe , Corin Holness , Charlotte Ponder and without exception they have all included significant elements of the increased online route for remote court hearings and online arbitation, mediation solutions and the other online and video meeting forums. Furthermore, they were of the view that these routes, will remain with us all and become part of the "New Normal" .... indeed the change in mindset has shifted without doubt.

I have also taken the opportunity to revisit my collection of books particularly those who have provided me with an insight and a vision of what might become the "New Normal" including the many written by the brillant Richard Susskind including his most recent "Online Courts and The Future of Justice".

The End of Lawyers

Tomorrow's Lawyers

The Future of The Professions

Online Courts and the Future of Justice

In addition, Richard Susskind has recently been involved in the remote courts worldwide initiative ... www.remotecourts.org

I have also taken to my archives and retrieved some pictures I had taken at a conference back in February of 2017 where much of the discussion centered around what the future of remote courts and hearings and online courts might look like ......

... in particular, Richard Susskind suggesting that "an internet-based court service is likely to be more transparent and visible and so public ... to larger numbers of people"

Will we return to the old ways? Who knows, but I suggest not ...

When I look at what we have all undertaken, for my part, the remote meeting opportunities that have both been widely adopted and worked well, will for me and many others become the "New Normal". As others have, the daily routine is now very different, a stroll around the garden with your coffee provides a welcome balance rather than dashing into traffic and commuting many miles, saving valuable time and becoming much more productive. Many attend numerous remote hearings in a day ... previously they would have travelled many miles, waited for hours and often where the hearings have been further delayed or adjourned as others were delayed or not able to attend. The costs alone would have been significant and I don't see substantive, longer hearings of multiple days being undertaken in this manner yet until we have reviewed progress, however, what has been revealed is the route of online and remote hearings being so much more accessible and productive for many.

For many who resisted the introduction, what is becoming more and more common place is where we see them becoming “digitally assisted”, where those more advanced in such ways offer a guiding hand and talk them through how to link up and help them see the positive route of remote working and connectivity.

Whilst there are no crystal balls here … and yes there remain many challenges, the “New Normal” will look very different and I look forward to embracing the changes for the benefit of all involved. 

#KeepSafe #HomeWorking #WorkFromHome #TheNewNormal

#OnlineCourts #ADR #ODR #Mediation #RemoteHearings #RemoteCourts

#Legaltech #AI #Blockchain #Access2Justice

Thanks to Paul Maskew who has kindly produced another fantastic logo for this posting.