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11 June 2021 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 7936 / Categories: Opinion , Profession , Personal injury , CPR , Technology
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The insider: 11 June 2021

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The unfortunates? Spats are brewing as the digital golden age beckons, says Dominic Regan

Reform is in the air. Our new Master of the Rolls and Birss LJ, the Deputy Head of Civil Justice, have both delivered speeches which are identical in tone. The latter in a talk about ‘The online future of civil justice’ delivered to Fordham Law School, New York in April went so far as to declare where we will be in 2026.

Every case will be started online. There will be no exception made for the ‘digitally disadvantaged’. Help will be provided to assist them with compliance, we are assured.

Every case will be managed online, leaving masters and district judges more isolated and lonely than ever. Service of documents will be entirely electronic too: ‘We are working on that now.’

Sir Geoffrey Vos gave the keynote speech on 10 May as part of London International Disputes Week. He too spoke of online activity with an emphasis upon pre-litigation protocols designed to nip problems

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NEWS
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NLJ this week: Mazur and more—inside the litigation frontline

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

NLJ this week: Social media bans for children spark legal dilemmas
Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
NLJ this week: Leasehold reform risks creating ‘forgotten freeholders’
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
NLJ this week: Court of Appeal clarifies when a claim truly begins
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
NLJ this week: Split FDRs could ease pressure—and boost settlements
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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