Lawyers, jurors, members of the public and others will be able to access the Internet without a telephone line in the Royal Courts of Justice and six other courts as part of a three-year pilot scheme, courts minister Chris Leslie announced last month.

Hotspots have been installed in public areas within court buildings, allowing individuals to use their laptops to access the Internet and e-mail at broadband speeds.



The other courts involved in the pilot, which will be operated by BT Openzone, are Southwark, Birmingham and Swansea Crown Courts, and Winchester, Liverpool and Leeds Combined Courts.


Lord Justice Thomas, the senior presiding judge of England & Wales, said lawyers would be able to access information held at their office, receive e-mails, and have information sent to them while they are attending court.


He added: 'When new points of law arise during the course of the hearing, they should be able to carry out the necessary research without leaving the building.'


Law Society chief executive Janet Paraskeva welcomed the move, adding that the facilities 'will prove popular if confidentiality and security is guaranteed for each user'.


A decision on whether to extend the scheme to all courts will be made in 2006.