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17 May 2019 / Alec Samuels
Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Technology
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Delegation, delegation, delegation

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Alec Samuels discusses the delegation of minor judicial tasks to staff
  • The court reform programme.
  • The conferring of wider powers, namely minor judicial powers, on the staff, both in the civil and the criminal courts.
  • The rise of technology and digital revolution.

The government is pursuing the court reform programme, with £1bn going into transformation by way of innovation and modernisation. It is seeking an efficient and effective system, and looking to build upon the following reports:

  • Review of Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings (January 2015), by Sir Brian Leveson.
  • Civil Court Structure Review (July 2016), by Lord Justice Briggs (as he then was).
  • Transforming our Justice System (September 2016), by the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals.

Technology is taking over. There is the Law Technology Committee, chaired by Christina Blacklaws, president of the Law Society. 60% of divorces are now done online, probate is becoming digitalised, and there is the online civil money claim court. Digital sharing of information in the criminal

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