I mentioned the other day that lawyers increasingly need the use of a laptop in court to deal with electronic CPS files, and that not all court administrators are as helpful as they might be in allowing users to keep the battery charged. I went to a meeting at one of the courthouses in our merged bench this week and sat in the well of the court, from which I could see a notice on HMCTS paper taped to the front of the bench forbidding the plugging-in of laptops in the courtroom because the cables might represent a trip hazard.
Making our courts run smoothly should be a team effort between judiciary, court staff, prosecutors, defence, and the rest. This kind of thing doesn't help.
Same here. Local Authority bringing care plans on laptops / iPads, not being allowed to plug them in because of PAT testing. They can't put the contents on a USB stick because of data protection. They can only email them to a secure email address, which only a chosen few have access to. Solicitors can't get an official court stamp on paperwork because of the prohibitive cost of ink.
ReplyDeleteWhen is the first case going to be adjourned because CPS battery had gone flat?
ReplyDeleteIt's all right for the CPS because they will have an office at the courthouse.
ReplyDeleteThey might at your courthouse but I bet they don't in the wider world, they'll have to fight for their share of the plug along with the rest of us.
DeleteDo the defense solicitors also have an officer at the courthouse ?
ReplyDeleteIf not then its a clear bias towards the prosecution and the CPS offices should be closed or shared with the defense.
Yes. They do.
DeleteWell they don't SouthLondonJP. In theory courts have an advocates room, which is rarely big enough for all the advocates to use.
DeleteIn Thames, it is a small room about the size of a average downstairs lavatory.
At Ealing (I think it was Ealing) it is literally a cupboard under the stairs. Even has some old boxes and stuff in it. There is no where to sit let alone plug anything in to charge or do work. Staff seemed confused when I asked to use the advocates room to change out of my bike gear... they didn't think I'd be able to fit in the advocates room let along change in it!
City of London has nothing at all - there is an interview room that has "Advocates only" on it, but it is unsecured and there is no desk to sit at, plus it seems to be used by probation quite a bit.
Hammersmith has a very small room that has desk space for 2 if you don't mind blocking access to the toilet while you work.
Highbury has a single desk in an unsecured room - I once caught a defendant in there getting drunk and looking at people's bags.
Redbridge has no advocates room at all.
Feltham has no advocates room at all.
Highgate has no advocates room at all.
Enfield has an unsecured advocates room.
Stratford has a large secured advocates room with plenty of desk space.
Been a while since I was at Greenwich but as I recall there either was no advocates room or it was very small... I remember carrying my things about and I wouldn't usually do that if there was somewhere safe to leave them.
Croydon has his and her's advocates rooms, although that is also a Crown Court and civil court.
At work we fix a power strip on the underside of the tables so people can plug their laptop in without creating a trip hazard.
ReplyDeleteAny modern laptop should be capable of lasting at least three or four hours on batteries in good condition, and my extremely cheap 10-inch one is good for almost seven when used for nothing more processor-intensive than displaying a text document. Anyone failing to ensure that the battery is fully charged before the start of the hearing, and if necessary replaced when it begins to wear out, has only themselves to blame.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you don't get a chance to charge a battery... some people are quite busy and have a lot of work to do.
DeleteMy laptop can last a good 7 hours. Let's say I travel to court by public transport to read papers - that's an hour or two of time gone before I get to court. Then I'll take client through the papers, another hour? Say 2-3 hours of my 7 gone before I get into the court room. Now, I'm waiting at court. i don't get paid for that, so it's time to do some other work. Say I'm waiting 2 hours, which is fairly typical, even a conservative estimate. That's 4-5 hours of my 7 hours left. Now, as long as I don't have a lengthy or complex hearing that is likely to last over 2 hours I'm fine... so basically, as long as I'm not trying to conduct a trial a 7 hour battery is fine... or I suppose if I don't do any work on the computer.
That is a poor situation. If you carried a backup, charged battery, would that help?
DeleteTrip hazard? How ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame that nobody in authority these days can seem to remember those two words, no not THOSE two words, but these two -common sense.
Birmingham Magistrates' Court security actually confiscate all laptop and phone chargers on entry. Nottingham Magistrates Court security confiscate laptops from everyone unless they're a lawyer, which is proven by saying you are one.
ReplyDeleteNow, who would bear the whips and scorns of time,the law's delay, the insolence of office, but he who's a lawyer indeed?
DeleteI practiced law for 30 years and the worst people I had to deal with were court functionaries. Too many were arbitrary, unintelligent, offensive, power-mad, arse-holes, with buttocks like hippos and the speed of a mud-ball.
ReplyDeleteMost judges were oblivious to the problem.
My compliments and love to Mr. justice R***, long since dead, who had a court clerk arrested for refusing to stay late on a Friday to file an order authorizing break and enter to free entrapped and starving/thirsty dogs. The dogs got out, the clerk spent the night and I hope was neither fed nor watered.
Thank goodness then for lawyers who are generally speaking intelligent ;)
ReplyDelete