Law Society President Michele O’Boyle has told solicitors that the remarkable fast-forwarding of technological adoption is a change which is likely to be permanent.

“Many traditional ways of doing business will probably never return,” she told practitioners in a bulletin yesterday.

While impressive strides are being made in the introduction of ‘remote hearings’ of court cases, the Law Society is monitoring developments to ensure that first principles in the administration of justice are honoured.

Limitations

Following the Law Society’s direct approach to the Chief Justice Frank Clarke in relation to the limitations of the technological platform used by the Courts Service, a high-level meeting was held yesterday.

President O’Boyle described as constructive the meeting between key Courts Service staff and representatives of the Law Society’s Litigation and Technology Committees.

The Law Society has also been lobbying the Courts Service at the highest level on the re-opening of the physical court venues to the extent permitted by the public health guidelines and in light of the reopening roadmap announced by the Taoiseach to restore economic and social activity in the State.

Significant changes

This will involve significant changes both to court venues and to the way that business will be conducted in the future.

Courts Service chief executive Angela Denning has invited the Law Society to participate in a special Working Group to design new ways of conducting court business.

“We welcome the opportunity to do so and we will participate and engage constructively,” said O’Boyle.