header-logo header-logo

Civil justice stats: on the slow track?

20 March 2024
Issue: 8064 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , In Court
printer mail-detail
Small claims and multi/fast track claimants are waiting increasingly lengthy times for trial, Ministry of Justice figures show

The mean time between issue and trial was 55.8 weeks for small claims and 85.7 weeks for the multi/fast track in the final quarter of last year—4.3 and 6.9 weeks longer than the same period in 2022, respectively.

Compared to 2019, these times are 18.7 weeks longer for small claims and 24.7 weeks longer for multi/fast track claims, according to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) civil justice statistics quarterly for October to December 2023.

The statistician’s comment noted: ‘This is the highest level since our series started in 2009.’

Damages claims dropped 24% to 13,000 claims, compared to 2022 (a 29% drop on the 2019 figures).

However, county court claims rose 11% on the 2022 figures—mainly driven by a 13% increase in money claims.

Warrants issued, for example, for possession, were up by a third (34%) compared to 2022, and up 19% compared to 2019.

Issue: 8064 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , In Court
printer mail-details

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
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
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
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
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
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