So I just had the most efficient court hearing ever. Court application filed and with an unaffirmed supporting affidavit. Gave undertaking to file affirmed affidavit after movement control lifted. Yesterday, court asked parties to email any of their submissions or responses.
There were no objections by the other parties. So no need for any further affidavits. Last night, we emailed the Judge and Registrar, and to all parties, the speech format of reasons for what we were seeking. Other parties emailed over their statements in reply too.
Cut-off time for this exchange was 9.30am this morning. At 11am, the Judge emailed all to take into account all the statements and court papers. He granted order in terms of our application. The Registrar then emailed to formally close the proceedings.
This exchange of emails will be uploaded formally into the court system as a record of the proceedings. I can now proceed to e-file in my draft Order. Gives a taste of the future of law, with all of us having to think out of the box.
From the client’s perspective, they are amazed by how accommodating the Court is in allowing this form of hearing. Imagine how much time is saved on such non-contentious applications. Administratively, lawyers and court officers able to conduct everything remotely.
Can COVID-19 accelerate how the entire legal system works? All of us to move to more digital platforms. There must still be a way to have adversarial interactions and witnesses to give evidence, but not everything needs to be in person.
