When determining whether a party should be excused from personal attendance at a strategic conference, the court must identify the objects sought to be achieved at the conference, assess whether personal attendance (as distinct from video link) would be conducive to attaining those objects, and evaluate whether the utility of personal attendance is disproportionate to the cost and inconvenience. Invoking a court's process is a right, not a privilege, and a party's voluntary change of residence cannot of itself be held against them in determining procedural applications. The decision relates specifically to strategic conferences and does not preclude requiring personal attendance at other proceedings such as mediations.
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