VIDEOCONFERENCING LEGAL SERVICES

 

What is a Video Link?

Within a legal context the words videoconference and video link can be interchangable.  The legal profession has adopted this term in preference to using the word videoconference.

Videoconferencing enables any person who is involved in court proceedings to participate in a hearing from a remote location. At its most basic, a witness at a remote location may give his/her evidence via a video link to the court with one screen and one camera in the courtroom. The technology needed to establish a video link can be relatively simple. A screen and a camera with a microphone is required at each location however best quality is achieved by using what is known as 'room based' equipment by the major manufacturers: Polycom, Sony, Tandberg and Lifesize, which deliver good quality at 384kbs and above.

An ISDN telephone line or high bandwidth IP connection is used to transmit the pictures and sound digitally between the locations.

The Access to Justice Act, 1999 allows a video link to be used for civil hearings, e.g. case management conferences, ancillary relief hearings, overseas or remote witnesses or in any civil cases in which the court directs the use of a video link and the parties involved consent to its use.

Many UK Courts have videoconferencing equipment and it is possible for every location to connect to any other court as well as independent 3rd parties. For example, videoconference equipment in Birmingham can be used to give evidence in a matter being heard in Plymouth. It is also possible for multiple locations to be connected e.g. Bournemouth, Leeds and Manchester can be used to take evidence for a matter being heard at The Royal Courts of Justice in London. This connection is made by using a multipoint bridging service.

The following Uk Courts have videoconferencing systems.

Barnet County Court

Basingstoke County Court

Birmingham Crown & County Courts

Blackburn County Court

Bournemouth Combined Court

Brighton County Court

Caernarfon County Court

Cambridge County Court

Canterbury County Court

Chelmsford County Court

Cardiff Civil Justice Centre

Carlisle County Court

Chester Civil Justice Centre

Court of Appeal, Civil Division

Coventry Combined Court

Derby County Court

Exeter County Court

Guildford County Court

Hove Trial Centre

Ipswich County Court

Kingston on Hull County Court

Lancaster County Court

Leeds Combined Court

Leicester Crown and County Courts

Lincoln County Court

Liverpool County Court

Luton County Court

Manchester Civil Courts of Justice

Medway County Court

Milton Keynes County Court

Newcastle Combined Court

Newport (Gwent) County Court

Northampton County Court

Norwich County Court

Nottingham County Court

Oxford County Court

Peterborough County Court

Plymouth Combined Court

Pontypridd County Court

Portsmouth County Court

Reading County Court

Rhyl County Court

Royal Courts of Justice

Sheffield County Court

Stoke on Trent County Court

Sunderland County Court

Swansea County Court

Swindon Combined Court

Taunton County Court

Teesside Combined Court

Telford County Court

Truro County Court

Warrington County Court

Watford County Court

Wolverhampton County Court

Worcester County Court

York County Court