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10 November 2017 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 7769 / Categories: Features , Civil way
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Civil way: 10 November 2017

Webchat with HMCTS. Look, no PD! Another lessee bonus. Killing off the relatives.

 

LITIGANT CHAT UP LINES

‘Thanks for explaining. I now know I can participate in the hearing from a telephone kiosk with my pet rhinoceros accompanying me.’

‘So long as you have a licence, John. Now can we help you with anything else today—an online divorce, probate application, lasting power of attorney, bankruptcy application, complaint perhaps?’

‘Not today.’

‘Then would you like to participate in a short survey which will take no longer than 10 minutes and will qualify you for a free draw for a night out with the chief of HMCTS and a bottle of Prosecco?’

HMCTS has announced that for those comfortable using online services who might have a question about process, they will be providing webchat. This will connect the user with an officer (I mean a team member) via a window on the computer screen where they can message each other. The necessary technology is in place and they are working on how

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Birketts—Nathan Evans

Commercial and technology team in Cambridgestrengthened by partner hire

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Latham & Watkins—Sarah Lightdale

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Firm strengthens securities practice with partner return

NEWS

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

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
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
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
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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