At Justice Law, we currently do our work remotely  and communicate with clients via e-mail, telephone and WhatsApp. Thankfully, we are able to represent our clients at telephone hearings and using other forms of technology to communicate with the courts, tribunals, other lawyers and third parties. There is little need for face-to-face contact with clients  especially during the Coronavirus pandemic.

HM Courts & Tribunal Service has up-dated rules and procedures to ensure that wheels of justice keep moving

" The COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid spread of the virus around the country presents an unprecedented challenge to all those involved in the administration of justice.

It is vital to maintain a functioning court and tribunal system in support of the administration of justice and the rule of law in the face of this public health emergency. Due to the challenges faced at this time the work of courts and tribunals will be consolidated into fewer buildings, maintaining the safety of all in the courts and in line with public health advice".... Published 27 March 2020:  https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/contingency-planning-courts-and-tribunals/ .

Key workers include those ‘essential to the running of the justice system’. The Law Society has provided further clarification of those legal practitioners covered within this category:

• advocates (including solicitor advocates) required to appear before a court or tribunal (remotely or in person), including prosecutors
• other legal practitioners required to support the administration of justice including duty solicitors (police station and court) and barristers, solicitors, legal executives, paralegals and others who work on imminent or ongoing court or tribunal hearings

See  https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/news/stories/update-on-legal-practitioner-keyworkers/ Published 23 March 2020

Stay at home to stop coronavirus spreading

Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

You should only leave the house for 1 of 4 reasons:

• shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
• one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household
• any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
• travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home

 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

"Set us free from lockdown, ministers, and stop covering your backs". "... The lesson of Covid-19 is brutally simple and applies generally to public regulation. Free people make mistakes and willingly take risks. If we hold politicians responsible for everything that goes wrong, they will take away our liberty so that nothing can go wrong. They will do this not for our protection against risk, but for their own protection against criticism ..." See Lord Sumption's article of 17 May 17 2020 at The Sunday Times: 

 Sars-CoV-2 shares between 80% and 90% of its genetic material with the virus that caused Sars – hence its name. 

...  The annual flu vaccine, for example, is the product of a well-honed assembly line in which only one or a few modules have to be updated each year. In contrast, Sars-CoV-2 is a novel pathogen in humans, and many of the technologies being used to build vaccines are relatively untested too.  ...

...  A vaccine could still save many lives, especially if the virus becomes endemic or perennially circulating – like flu – and there are further, possibly seasonal, outbreaks. But until then, our best hope is to contain the disease as far as possible.  ...

  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/28/coronavirus-vaccine-when-will-it-be-ready  Published 28 March 2020 

"... We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. 

Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause   unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death. ... WHO Director General Dr  Tedros Ghebreyesus on 11 March 2020.

The exponential growth worldwide is extremely concerning to us humans, and has changed the way we live, work and socialise. See the statistics and daily up-dates at  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ 

Do:

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• wash your hands as soon as you get back home
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

Do not

 do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean