Quadrant Chambers and Maritime London partnered to bring you this latest webinar: How English Shipping Law has Responded to the Covid-19 Crisis. 

Jos Standerwick, Chief Executive of Maritime London will moderate our panel. The panel considered how the English legal system is responding to the current COVID-19 crisis. A recording is available on the below link:

Programme:

Robert Thomas, Barrister, Quadrant Chambers

Robert Thomas QC, from Quadrant Chambers will give his experience of the Courts and their attitude to hearings in this new era. He will also give the advocate's view and practical tips for hearings. 

Ian Gaunt, President of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association

About 100 oral hearings are conducted in LMAA cases annually. These comprise about 20% of the LMAA’s overall caseload in terms of cases which actually lead to an award.Although some steps have been taken  recently towards partial remote hearings, for example by cross examination of witnesses through the use of  video conferencing, the current lockdown has resulted in a rapid adoption of conferencing facilities for conducting hearings on a 100% remote basis with all participants in separate locations. Recent improvements in conferencing technology and the quality of internet connections have made this quite feasible.

As a result, although some scheduled hearings have had to be postponed, arbitration tribunals have been reluctant to do so as a matter of course and parties have been quick to adapt to the new reality. Often this has been through the use of popular facilities such as Zoom and Blue Jeans or, in more complex cases involving providers such as Opus 2. An LMAA Working Group has been established to gather feedback on the conduct of remote hearings, to understand problems which the parties may be facing and to organise basic training in the use of conferencing facilities for arbitrators.

Mark Lloyd, Partner, Kennedys & Chairman, Admiralty Solicitors Group (ASG)

• How are practitioners in the service sector working together to ensure that hearings, mediations, applications and the myriad of logistical issues proceed enabling parties to manage claims, disputes and proceedings.  
• The new normal with remote managed mediations cooperation between law firms, experts and the providers of dispute resolution services and including the use of document management systems.
• The “new” normal once lockdown has been eased.  How will the industry choose to utilise the experiences from this period to the benefit of all going forward.