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11 January 2015 / Leigh Callaway
Issue: 7636 / Categories: Features , Profession , Litigation trends
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A brave(r) new world?

Leigh Callaway forecasts what 2015 has in store for litigators

By the start of 2014, litigation in England & Wales had undergone a fundamental and wide-ranging transformation. Eighteen months on, the reforms implemented following Lord Justice Jackson’s Review of Civil Litigation Costs have to a large extent “bedded in”. Arguably, we now have a better grasp of both the opportunities and challenges that face the profession and our clients.

Efficiency & co-operation

The objectives of Jackson LJ’s review are to be lauded, and following the “bump” in the road in the form of the Mitchell decision (Mitchell v News Group Newspapers [2013] EWCA Civ 1537, [2014] 2 All ER 430), the subsequent judgments in Denton, Decadent and Utilise [2014] EWCA Civ 906, [2014] All ER (D) 53 (Jul), have clarified the court’s approach to relief from sanctions and the test to be applied when faced with breaches of court orders or the CPR. In short, the message to litigators is that the court will expect parties to (1) agree reasonable

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers to be joined by leading family law set, 4 Brick Court, this summer

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Real estate and construction energy offering boosted by partner hire

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Firm bolsters real estate team with partner hire in Birmingham

NEWS
A wave of housing and procedural reforms is set to test the limits of tribunal capacity. In his latest Civil Way column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold charts sweeping change as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins biting
Plans to reduce jury trials risk missing the real problem in the criminal justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, David Wolchover of Ridgeway Chambers argues the crown court backlog is fuelled not by juries but weak cases slipping through a flawed ‘50%’ prosecution test
Emerging technologies may soon transform how courts determine truth in deeply personal disputes. In this week's NLJ, Madhavi Kabra of 1 Hare Court and Harry Lambert of Outer Temple Chambers explore how neurotechnology could reshape family law
A controversial protest case has reignited debate over the limits of free expression. In NLJ this week, Nicholas Dobson examines a Quran-burning incident testing public order law
The courts have drawn a firm line under attempts to extend arbitration appeals. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester highlights that if the High Court refuses permission under s 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996, that is the end
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