While users of arbitration, arbitrators, and arbitration practitioners have for years been discussing the desirability of having an option to conduct arbitral hearings fully remotely, few were ready to fully commit to the new technology which was already available in the market to facilitate this prior to 2020.

However, the COVID 19 pandemic has accelerated the arbitration community into a new digital world, and remote hearings (also known as virtual hearings) have quickly becoming the norm in 2020.

This new paradigm has reduced the financial and personal cost and disruption of in-person hearings which can last days, weeks, or even months. At the same time, having fully remote hearings has been seen by many as ‘uncharted territory’ where there are legal and practical perils that can and should be avoided.