Virtual civil trials: challenges and oppartunities

Abstract

The paper examines the difficulties of conducting virtual civil proceedings in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the future of virtual trials after the end of the pandemic. In the current situation, the international dispute resolution community is forced to consider new ways of conducting litigation. Some practitioners have already started using what technology has been offering for many years; others are still discussing the possibility of virtual trials; the third group of people who do not want to go online believe that virtual meetings are not adapted to conduct trials at the proper level. The article reveals the essence of virtual litigation and considers various approaches to it. The advantages and disadvantages of online trials are discussed and predictions are made about the prospects of virtual trials after the end of the pandemic