*/
The Government must return funding of the civil courts to a “realistic level”, the new President of the Association of District Judges has warned.
District Judge David Oldham, who replaced Edwina Millward as President in March, said the civil courts remained the “Cinderella” of the justice system and fees have increased to “draconian levels”.
“Legal aid has virtually disappeared in civil cases and so the proportion of litigants without legal representation has soared,” he said.
His aim, “as the recession brings more and more individuals to the county courts, [is] to ensure ... access to free and efficient expert advice and assistance from a duty solicitor or CAB or other advice agency which is independent of HM Courts Service”.
Since the Woolf reforms a decade ago, civil claims are settling at a higher rate than ever and contested cases are coming on for trial earlier, he said.
A justice system which forced litigants with good claims to abandon them because of the expense of going to the law was “deficient.”
District Judge Monty Trent has been elected Senior Vice President of the Association, and District Judge Paul Mildred is the new Junior Vice President.
District Judge David Oldham, who replaced Edwina Millward as President in March, said the civil courts remained the “Cinderella” of the justice system and fees have increased to “draconian levels”.
“Legal aid has virtually disappeared in civil cases and so the proportion of litigants without legal representation has soared,” he said.
His aim, “as the recession brings more and more individuals to the county courts, [is] to ensure ... access to free and efficient expert advice and assistance from a duty solicitor or CAB or other advice agency which is independent of HM Courts Service”.
Since the Woolf reforms a decade ago, civil claims are settling at a higher rate than ever and contested cases are coming on for trial earlier, he said.
A justice system which forced litigants with good claims to abandon them because of the expense of going to the law was “deficient.”
District Judge Monty Trent has been elected Senior Vice President of the Association, and District Judge Paul Mildred is the new Junior Vice President.
The Government must return funding of the civil courts to a “realistic level”, the new President of the Association of District Judges has warned.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
Harmony Christian Ministries is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, discusses the upcoming changes to pensions and Inheritance Tax and the potential impact on your financial future
Reviewed by Daniel Barnett
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC
The Chief Legal Officer to the Metropolitan Police, barrister Brett Welch, tells Anthony Inglese CB about his mission and the work to turn the Met around
Barrister apprenticeships – shortly to provide the fourth pathway to the Bar – are an ideal opportunity to support local talent and ‘grow your own’, say Tim Coulson and Dr Jane Dennehy
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts