The Digital Dispute Resolution Rules Are Here. Now What?

According to the country's second most senior judge, Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos, the digital revolution has arrived, and lawyers must get with the programme.

In a speech at London International Disputes Week, Sir Geoffrey Vos predicted that soon nearly all business will be conducted via electronic documentation, smart legal contracts and on-chain records; courts will be rendered redundant in the resolution of factual disputes.

As part of his wider plan to drag lawyers and judges who "have a reputation for being slow to change" into the future, Sir Geoffrey Vos spearheaded the creation of Digital Dispute Resolution Rules (the Rules) that parties to smart contracts and other technology-based agreements can use to resolve disputes out of court.