Firm in court video link

Osborne Clarke has become the first firm to participate in a live video link-up in a civil court hearing, an experiment the Court Service says could cut the time and money spent in civil cases.

The link was set up between the Cardiff Civil Justice Centre and the London offices of claimant solicitors Osborne Clarke - where a boardroom was converted into a mock courtroom.

Defendant solicitors, City-based Linklaters, also attended.

Osborne Clarke solicitor Jenny Scott described the link as 'remarkably successful'.

She added: 'London was a central point for all parties involved, so a video link saved a great deal of money and time.'

Donna Goldsworthy, the Linklaters solicitor, was also positive about the link.

'We think it is definitely the way forward,' she said.

However, Ms Goldsworthy stressed that the scheme needed to be supported by the full range of IT systems.

The link was part of a pilot scheme under the Court Service's programme of modernising the civil courts, where video conferencing is tested with the intention of improving accessibility, speeding up cases and reducing costs.

Although video links are common in criminal cases, this was the first time that a law firm and a court have been linked.

Judge Chambers, who presided at the hearing, described it as: 'An efficient use of time and communication, saving costs for all concerned.'

The one dissenting voice came from Osborne Clarke's barristers, who, although broadly approving, said they were unable to pick up some of the judge's subtle nuances and body language over a monitor.

Ms Scott said: 'Advocates can usually tell when a judge is getting impatient, but something was lost in translation.'

Victoria MacCallum