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20 February 2026 / Stephen Gold
Issue: 8150 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Civil way , CPR , Costs , Nuisance
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Civil way: 20 February 2026

How about a court survey?; cross on an interlocutory; mental health care shake-up; latest on cat poo; liability-only Pt 36 offers.

SURVEYING THE SITUATION

The Ministry of Justice hoped for a large-scale survey of county court users, so they commissioned Ipsos UK to conduct a study on the feasibility of such a survey. What do you know?! A pilot survey and lots of exploratory work later, Ipsos has now advised in a 137-page report that a survey is feasible. Pilot interviewees, asked how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with their experience of court services, were offered the choice of very satisfied, fairly satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, fairly dissatisfied and very dissatisfied. Doubtlessly with Ricky Gervais’s The Office appraisal of Keith in mind, interviewers were directed not to read out the options of ‘don’t know’ and ‘prefer not to say’. One can expect the report to be carefully scrutinised in committee.


NOT QUITE A CERT

The civil certificate of service in form

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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