International arbitration webinar: The psychology of virtual hearings

Partners Peter Ashford and Ben Giaretta joined Dr Ula Cartwright-Finch from Cortex Capital and Lucy Greenwood from Greenwood Arbitration. Our panel of experienced arbitration practitioners together with a psychologist discussed how to navigate virtual hearings in the current climate and the practical issues and solutions that legal teams, witnesses and tribunals are facing.

During the webinar our speakers considered:

• How our brains process the new visual and audio environment, its impact on arbitrators’ thinking and perception
• Zoom fatigue: causes and practical remedies including the optimal screen set-up
• Time zone effects – impact and implications for scheduling
• Emotional factors in the new virtual environment, their potential influence and remedies
• The absence of social cues (especially eye gaze and body language) – their relevance and impact on perception of oral submissions
• The absence of the physical presence of others – pros and cons for hearing participants
• Virtual witnesses – impact on credibility / other assessments, practical ideas
• Special considerations for virtual experts
• What key points should arbitrators take on board to ensure that virtual hearings are effective?