News

Along with the rest of the country, our solicitors and staff have now been working remotely from home for a number of weeks as a result of COVID-19. We have always had a robust business continuity plan and a solid technological infrastructure which has enabled us to offer business as usual while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our staff and clients during this time. All contact details and telephone numbers have remained the same meaning that there has been minimal effect on client experience.

Counsel continue to advise in conference either by telephone or by video conferencing and are offering various services via Skype for Business, Zoom or Microsoft Teams. At Sinclair Gibson we are using Microsoft Teams and private conference telephone lines which are encrypted to facilitate meetings and ensure that we can provide secure communications with our clients, counsel and third parties. We have clients all over the country and internationally who are able to dial in or join video calls allowing cases to progress in a timely and efficient manner.

The Courts are also using video and telephone conferencing to allow hearings to be heard remotely. Over the last few weeks the Courts have conducted entire trials and shorter hearings using Skype for Business and Zoom successfully and there have been multiple successful short hearings across jurisdictions using telephone conferencing.

We are also using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to progress matters for our clients during this time (mediation, private FDRs and arbitration).

In relation to family law matters, Kathryn Peat conducts private FDRs and offers arbitration on both children and finance matters (but not for existing clients which is prohibited).

Overall, it would seem that in the face of adversity, Sinclair Gibson and the wider legal profession as well as clients have adapted to this new way of working quickly and efficiently.

Please do get in touch if you have any queries about upcoming hearings or the need to issue court proceedings.