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Digitalisation of Justice: Is this the end of lawyers in police stations? 20 November 2020, 10–11:30am CET    I'm delighted to invite you to Digitalisation of Justice: Is this end of lawyers in police stations?, which is being hosted by Fair Trials and JUSTICIA.Join our expert panel to find out more about the impact of remote legal assistance on defence rights in Europe during the pandemic. Register for this event here. Covid-19 and remote legal assistance If you are arrested or interviewed by law enforcement authorities in the EU, you have the right to be assisted by a lawyer, prior to and during questioning. The implementation of this right is inconsistent, but it was delivered a massive blow by the Covid-19 pandemic when in person access to a lawyer was restricted in many EU countries. As a result, legal assistance in police custody either didn’t happen or was primarily provided remotely, via telephone or video-link. It was often reduced to a pre-interview phone consultation and strictly limited in time. Digitalisation of justice By the end of 2020, the European Commission is expected to outline measures to increase digitalisation in justice systems across the EU. Before rushing into long-term legislative changes that will transform the functioning of our justice systems, it is crucial that we understand the impact of remote legal assistance on defence rights. Is this the end of lawyers in police stations? Join us to discuss the impact of remote legal assistance on defence rights in Europe during the pandemic. We will be asking whether lawyers can effectively assist their clients if they don’t meet in person. How does remote access affect suspects, in particular those who are vulnerable? Could remote access contribute to miscarriages of justice? And with the European Commission about to announce proposals for the digitalisation of justice systems, what is the long-term impact on criminal justice? Our panel of legal experts includes: Nicolas Cohen, Lawyer, Jus Cogens András Kádár, Attorney-at-law and Co-chair, Hungarian Helsinki Committee  Barbel Heinkelmann, Legal Officer, European Commission Laure Baudrihaye-Gérard, Europe Legal Director, Fair Trials. You can find out more about the speakers and register for this event here. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Best wishes, Emmanuelle Debouverie Legal and Policy Officer emmanuelle.debouverie@fairtrials.net Fair Trials Rue de la Pépinière, 10 A B-1060 Brussels, Belgium T: +32 (0)2 360 04 71 www.fairtrials.org