*/
Money claims worth up to £25,000 should be dealt with by an online court, the final report from a senior judge on civil justice reform has concluded.
Lord Justice Briggs said the court should be designed to be used by people with ‘minimum assistance from lawyers’ and have its own set of ‘user-friendly rules’.
It should, he said, become the compulsory forum for resolving cases within its jurisdiction and give special assistance to those who struggle with online systems.
Briggs recommended that case officers, a senior body of court lawyers and officials, be trained and supervised by judges to assist with certain functions currently carried out by judges, such as paperwork and uncontentious matters.
His recommendations also included re-establishing a court-based out of hours private mediation service in county court hearing centres, prepared along the lines of the service which existed prior to the establishment and then termination of the National Mediation Helpline.
The report, The Civil Courts Structure Review, commissioned by the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in July 2015, will inform the wider programme of court modernisation being undertaken by HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
Signing it off, Briggs said: ‘It is for others to decide which of the above recommendations should be implemented, and by what means.
‘In my view, if they are all substantially implemented, then the essentially high quality of the civil justice service provided by the courts of England and Wales will be greatly extended to a silent community to whom it is currently largely inaccessible, and both restored and protected against the weaknesses and threats which currently affect it’.
Bar chairman, Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC, warned: ‘Any moves towards an online court for claims of up to £25,000 must avoid the risk of entrenching a system of two-tier justice whereby individuals opting to use a “lawyerless” online court process could easily find themselves in litigation with big organisations which can afford to hire their own legal teams.’
Dorries said efforts to modernise the court and improve efficiency were ‘essential’ and stressed that the civil justice system required ‘proper investment’.
She said the Bar would consider the report and its impact on access to justice and the reputation of the legal system.
Money claims worth up to £25,000 should be dealt with by an online court, the final report from a senior judge on civil justice reform has concluded.
Lord Justice Briggs said the court should be designed to be used by people with ‘minimum assistance from lawyers’ and have its own set of ‘user-friendly rules’.
It should, he said, become the compulsory forum for resolving cases within its jurisdiction and give special assistance to those who struggle with online systems.
Briggs recommended that case officers, a senior body of court lawyers and officials, be trained and supervised by judges to assist with certain functions currently carried out by judges, such as paperwork and uncontentious matters.
His recommendations also included re-establishing a court-based out of hours private mediation service in county court hearing centres, prepared along the lines of the service which existed prior to the establishment and then termination of the National Mediation Helpline.
The report, The Civil Courts Structure Review, commissioned by the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in July 2015, will inform the wider programme of court modernisation being undertaken by HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
Signing it off, Briggs said: ‘It is for others to decide which of the above recommendations should be implemented, and by what means.
‘In my view, if they are all substantially implemented, then the essentially high quality of the civil justice service provided by the courts of England and Wales will be greatly extended to a silent community to whom it is currently largely inaccessible, and both restored and protected against the weaknesses and threats which currently affect it’.
Bar chairman, Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC, warned: ‘Any moves towards an online court for claims of up to £25,000 must avoid the risk of entrenching a system of two-tier justice whereby individuals opting to use a “lawyerless” online court process could easily find themselves in litigation with big organisations which can afford to hire their own legal teams.’
Dorries said efforts to modernise the court and improve efficiency were ‘essential’ and stressed that the civil justice system required ‘proper investment’.
She said the Bar would consider the report and its impact on access to justice and the reputation of the legal system.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
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
Save the Children UK is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
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
Born from a grievance, their research project grew into a book and is now challenging the status quo. Emma Price and Emma-Louise Fenelon reveal the key findings – and the critical next steps
Grok around and find out – or not? Mariya Peykova investigates the nudification scandal, what the law has to say about sexually explicit deepfakes, and whether stronger regulation is needed
Oliver Lewis spotlights an overlooked yet rapidly evolving area of law – coercive and controlling behaviour within care contexts
