The High Court has issued guidance that confirms that remote hearings are not just for the pandemic but are here to stay. The guidance states that for hearings that are listed for less than half a day, the default position will be that the hearing is remote, with parties attending via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or other such video platforms the court uses. 

Judges will also continue to have the option to list a 'hybrid' trial allowing witnesses to attend remotely, giving more flexibility to parties. 

The idea behind the guidance is to allow the Business and Property Courts to deal with matters efficiently however, with the inevitable technical problems that come along with remote hearings, I question whether remote hearings do actually make the process of a court hearing more efficient.