*/
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.
The Chair of the Bar sets out how the new government can restore the justice system
In the first of a new series, Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth considers the fundamental need for financial protection
Unlocking your aged debt to fund your tax in one easy step. By Philip N Bristow
Possibly, but many barristers are glad he did…
Mental health charity Mind BWW has received a £500 donation from drug, alcohol and DNA testing laboratory, AlphaBiolabs as part of its Giving Back campaign
The Institute of Neurotechnology & Law is thrilled to announce its inaugural essay competition
How to navigate open source evidence in an era of deepfakes. By Professor Yvonne McDermott Rees and Professor Alexa Koenig
Brie Stevens-Hoare KC and Lyndsey de Mestre KC take a look at the difficulties women encounter during the menopause, and offer some practical tips for individuals and chambers to make things easier
Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice since January 2021, is well known for his passion for access to justice and all things digital. Perhaps less widely known is the driven personality and wanderlust that lies behind this, as Anthony Inglese CB discovers
The Chair of the Bar sets out how the new government can restore the justice system
No-one should have to live in sub-standard accommodation, says Antony Hodari Solicitors. We are tackling the problem of bad housing with a two-pronged approach and act on behalf of tenants in both the civil and criminal courts