header-logo header-logo

Change for the better

08 April 2016 / Ed Crosse
Issue: 7693 / Categories: Opinion , Litigation trends
printer mail-detail
istock_000009622275_web

It’s time for lawyers to take a constructive view about change, says Ed Crosse

When you talk to civil litigators in London, one topic that always comes up is the pace of change. We face constant shifts in the way that the courts operate and the rules to which we must adhere. The Civil Procedure Rules change every year, while new pilot schemes seem to launch every few months, introducing new ways of working for specific types of cases.

Yet standing still is not an option if London’s courts are to continue to be the forum of choice for domestic and international disputes. The realities of reduced funding for the justice system and increased competition both from arbitration and from other jurisdictions, means that practitioners and the courts need to embrace change. Only by engaging with this process will lawyers have an influence in ensuring that best ideas prevail and the unworkable are put aside.

Some of what is currently under consideration, such as yet higher court fees and fixed costs in cases

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll