*/
Profession
Proposals to cut the cost of litigation and speed up dispute resolution have been presented to the senior judiciary by the Bar Council.
Reforming civil litigation, published on 25 March, reflects the recommendations of a working group including the chairs of the Chancery Bar Association, Commercial Bar Association and the Technology and Construction Bar Association, chaired by Michael Todd QC.
Among the recommendations are that all cases should be docketed to ensure consistency; case management conferences, conducted by the trial judge, should take place no later than the close of pleadings, at which point the parties should be required to identify the issues to be decided and the evidence required; pre-action protocols should be got rid of; the CPR rules for witness statements should be abolished and replaced by rules for witness summaries; a single, electronic case management administration system should be implemented across the jurisdictions of the Rolls Building; and there should be only one procedural guide for the Rolls Building.
The Lord Chancellor, a day after the report’s publication, announced that the Ministry of Justice would be reviewing court and tribunal resourcing and adminstration. He wanted “those who litigate in our courts to pay their fair share”, and to find means of generating investment for a “better and more flexible service to court users” which would “further enhance the position of the UK at the centre of the international legal market and the revenue it can generate.”
Meanwhile a Chancery modernisation review, launched in February by the Chancellor of the High Court, is reviewing current practices and procedures in the Chancery Division and will make its recommendations for reform within a year.
Reforming civil litigation, published on 25 March, reflects the recommendations of a working group including the chairs of the Chancery Bar Association, Commercial Bar Association and the Technology and Construction Bar Association, chaired by Michael Todd QC.
Among the recommendations are that all cases should be docketed to ensure consistency; case management conferences, conducted by the trial judge, should take place no later than the close of pleadings, at which point the parties should be required to identify the issues to be decided and the evidence required; pre-action protocols should be got rid of; the CPR rules for witness statements should be abolished and replaced by rules for witness summaries; a single, electronic case management administration system should be implemented across the jurisdictions of the Rolls Building; and there should be only one procedural guide for the Rolls Building.
The Lord Chancellor, a day after the report’s publication, announced that the Ministry of Justice would be reviewing court and tribunal resourcing and adminstration. He wanted “those who litigate in our courts to pay their fair share”, and to find means of generating investment for a “better and more flexible service to court users” which would “further enhance the position of the UK at the centre of the international legal market and the revenue it can generate.”
Meanwhile a Chancery modernisation review, launched in February by the Chancellor of the High Court, is reviewing current practices and procedures in the Chancery Division and will make its recommendations for reform within a year.
Profession
Proposals to cut the cost of litigation and speed up dispute resolution have been presented to the senior judiciary by the Bar Council.
The forthcoming Race at the Bar report, and what the Bar Council is doing on the intersecting issues of race discrimination, equal opportunity and social mobility
An update by Rachel Cooper of Coram Chambers
There is still time to submit your entries for the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2022, with entries closing on Friday 26 November!
Leading alcohol testing provider AlphaBiolabs is now offering SmartMobile™, a new and highly innovative portable breath alcohol testing device with a built-in camera for personal identification, as well as optional GPS tracking capabilities.
Like it or loathe it, admin is a part of work and life but it can start to dominate and feel a burden. Here is a checklist of tips to help you feel calm about your inbox, from the virtual assistants who keep barristers organised
AlphaBiolabs enhances its SCRAM CAM® continuous alcohol monitoring service
Upskilling courts with a more forensic approach to domestic abuse, Professor Monckton-Smith talks to Laurence Cooper about her groundbreaking research, identifying patterns of coercive control and use of the homicide timeline
In a rare interview, Lord Pannick QC, the barrister at the centre of some of the most critical legal debates this country has seen, reflects on his own role in the theatre of law, celebrates the art of persuasion and discusses his upcoming Hamlyn Lectures. Interview by Anthony Inglese CB
Dropping hearings into Zoom is not the end game, writes Professor Richard Susskind OBE
Racial disparity and racism can impact experiences in the courtroom; Abimbola Johnson has some constructive solutions on how we can effectively challenge it
The forthcoming Race at the Bar report, and what the Bar Council is doing on the intersecting issues of race discrimination, equal opportunity and social mobility
