The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way many of us work. The Senior Courts Costs Office is no exception. The SCCO has adapted to and has coped well with the pandemic, most business at court has progressed and very few hearings have been adjourned.

The Senior Costs Judge, Andrew Gordon-Saker, has issued a practice note, leveraging the experience over the last few months to consider how hearings in the SCCO will need to be conducted going forward. The SCCO envisages the continued use of remote hearings, alongside in-person hearings, for the foreseeable future. This continued, greater use of video and telephone will be bolstered by the electronic filing of papers, which is something which the courts particularly encourage.

We have the facilities and expertise to conduct remote hearings, and to save cost by not having to travel to courts.