How to host remote hearings

01

Write the procedure before configuring the room

Define who may admit participants, mute or remove users, move parties to private rooms, display exhibits and start any authorised recording. State whether personal recording is prohibited, how objections are handled, and which channel is the official record. Published court procedures consistently emphasise joining early, testing equipment and clear speaking discipline.

• Issue individual invitations; avoid publishing a reusable moderator link.
• Collect a reachable phone number for critical participants.
• Name exhibits consistently and distribute them through the approved evidence channel.

02

Design the room around legal roles

Map the judge or chair to moderator privileges, the clerk to room operations, counsel to presenter capability when needed, and observers to restricted attendee roles. Use breakout rooms only where private consultation is permitted and explain that platform operators may still control infrastructure. Confirm witness identity, location and isolation under the applicable rules.

03

Protect the record

Decide whether the authoritative record is a court reporter, an authorised platform recording or another system. In BigBlueButton, a meeting created as recordable can capture media and events for later processing even when visible recording marks only selected portions. Configure raw-data retention, publication access and deletion around the legal policy—not the other way round.

04

Run a failure drill

Test from the same networks and managed devices participants will use. Simulate a failed microphone, dropped presiding officer, inaccessible exhibit and unavailable recording. The clerk should know when to pause, when to move to the approved backup and how to document interruption. After the hearing, reconcile attendance, recordings, exhibits and incident notes.