Lucy in the Skype with diamonds

Picture yourself in a boat on a river….   The High Court decision in Re ML (Use of Skype Technology) 2013

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2013/2091.html

The judgment here is pretty short, but involves two cases where Skype was used to assist in Court proceedings. In one, whilst the Court was wary about using Skype as a vehicle for hearing evidence, a solution was brokered, and the solution ended up being far more cost effective than the traditional video-link method.  In the other, Skype was helpfully used to allow the witnessing of the parents signing a consent document (which normally has to be done in the presence of a Guardian) avoiding the need to try to fly a Guardian out to Tibet.

Pragmatic approaches on both cases, and Skype (in the right circumstances, and with the right safeguards) can now be a part of the available toolkit for problem solving.