Courts are working remotely during the outbreak.

The U.K.'s HM Courts & Tribunals Service has joined forces with two other bodies to launch an online platform to help courts deal with the pandemic.

The court service, the Society for Computers and Law and the UK LawTech Delivery Panel have set up a service dubbed Remote Courts Worldwide, they announced Monday. It is designed to "help the global community of justice workers [...] to share their experiences of developing remote alternatives to traditional court hearings in physical buildings."

The service aims to help courts to avoid duplicating efforts in introducing remote courts during the pandemic, and offers a platform for court workers to exchange news, about working systems, plans, safeguards, protocols, and more.

The service is being led by Professor Richard Susskind, president of the Society for Computers and Law, and an expert in online courts. He said in a statement: "It's time to come together, globally, to accelerate the introduction of remote hearings by judges. We have no choice. Physical courts are closing.

"There's little point in lamenting any lack of past investment nor in predicting that the technology will fail. Let's make it happen. We must seize the moment and come together to accelerate the development of new ways of delivering just outcomes for court users."

The move comes as courts and firms across the globe are closing their physical offices and moving towards remote working in a bid to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some firms, such as Paul Hastings have also put in place online tools to help clients find which courts are open across the U.S.

Read more:

Lawyers Fear Billing Delays, Bonus Drops and Job Cuts Amid Virus Panic

Slaughters, Linklaters Halt Associate Recruitment Amid Pandemic Disruption