‘The Lord Chancellor spoke at the Law Society to thank the hidden heroes who kept justice moving during the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined his plans for recovering the system, as well as propelling it towards a better future.’
Ministry of Justice, 4th June 2021
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘Immigration and civil litigation were the two areas of legal practice hit hardest by the pandemic last year, with private client and family law “insulated” from the impact, new research has found.’
Legal Futures, 5th May 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘From decrepit court buildings to legal aid cuts, the service has been brought to its knees. And there’s little hope of change.’
The Guardian, 5th April 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Ministry of Justice “faces significant risks across the full range of its services, without a clear sense of prioritisation” and huge backlogs that have built up are causing “unacceptably long waiting times for people to access justice”, the Public Accounts Committee has said.’
Local Government Lawyer, 24th March 2021
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Delays in cases going through the civil court continue to spiral upwards, with the whiplash reforms set to increase pressure on the small claims court even further in the coming months.’
Litigation Futures, 23rd March 2021
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘On 13th January 2021, the new Chief Coroner, HHJ Teague QC, published Law Sheet No.6. This new guidance comes exactly two months after the Supreme Court gave judgment on 13th November 2020 in the case of R (on the application of Thomas Maughan) v. HM Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46 where it ruled by majority that all conclusions in coronial inquests, whether short form or narrative, are to be determined on the civil standard of proof: the balance of probabilities.’
Parklane Plowden Chambers, 19th January 2021
Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk
‘Up to two-thirds of civil hearings will take place face-to-face over the coming months as the caseload increases, with longer operating hours an option for courts if needed.’
Litigation Futures, 10th November 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Last month, Sir Ross Cranston handed down judgment in The Federal Republic of Nigeria v Process & Industrial Developments [2020] EWHC 2379 (Comm), marking the latest stage in what has proved a notoriously long-running dispute since arbitration between the parties was first commenced in 2012.’
Hardwicke Chambers, 14th October 2020
Source: hardwicke.co.uk
‘The Lord Chief Justice told MPs yesterday that he is “extremely concerned” that the backlogs that have grown across the justice system since March should not be “viewed by anybody as the new normal”.’
Legal Futures, 11th November 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Civil Justice Council has launched a review of Pre-action Protocols (PAPs) that will look at all aspects of PAPs including their purpose, whether they are working effectively in practice and what reforms, if any, are required.’
Local Government Lawyer, 28th October 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Anti-social behaviour injunctions (ASBIs) – which were introduced by the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 – are not working, a report published this month by the Civil Justice Council has claimed.’
Local Government Lawyer, 20th October 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The government’s £1bn court reforms have had a “disappointingly slow” start in collecting the information required to ensure the justice system is fair, according to researchers.’
Legal Futures, 20th October 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The court system faces a trade-off between the quality of justice and the cost of delivering it, former Supreme Court justice Lord Sumption has said in a biting assessment of virtual hearings. Speaking at the Commercial Litigators’ Forum, Lord Sumption (Jonathan Sumption QC) said if quality of justice was the only concern “we would go back to ordinary oral hearings.” ‘
Law Society's Gazette, 5th October 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘MPs have today launched an inquiry to investigate delays in the court system and what should be done to clear the backlog of cases.’
Legal Futures, 30th July 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The locations of 10 emergency “Nightingale courts” created by the Ministry of Justice for socially distanced trials to tackle the massive backlog in cases in England and Wales have been announced.’
The Guardian, 19th July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Much has been written about the dramatic decrease in civil hearings as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. A survey conducted by Kate Brunner QC and I for the Western Circuit showed a 75% decrease in the number of hearings and a 58% reduction in work done by the Bar.’
3PB, 6th July 2020
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
‘A “tsunami of litigation” powered by the Covid-19 pandemic could leave the civil justice system “overwhelmed” by the end of the year, a well-known solicitor and ADR specialist has predicted.’
Litigation Futures, 8th July 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘The Chancellor of the High Court has said “the one thing” he really wants to come out of the coronavirus crisis is “blue sky thinking” about how to improve commercial dispute resolution.’
Litigation Futures, 7th July 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
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