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Group of Ontario lawyers petitions courts to keep proceedings virtual

The pandemic forced millions of court proceeding to go virtual over the past two years, a necessity in order to keep the wheels of justice moving.

Now, a group of family lawyers in Ontario wants virtual hearings to be the norm.

[…]

But while some lawyers are championing remote court, others say we shouldn’t ignore the drawbacks.

Criminal defence lawyer Michael Spratt saidwhile there are merits to remote court appearances, some lower-income clients will be at a disadvantage if virtual becomes the default setting.

“Insisting on virtual proceedings in those cases could essentially [emphasize] the already gross disparity between the haves and the have nots in the justice system,” Spratt said.

“Balance is the exact word that we need to use.”

[…]

Read Kevin Gallagher and Alexandra Mae Jone’s full story: CTV News

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