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Digital justice for all

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Professors Sue Prince & Liz Smart explain why inclusion must be at the heart of reform to improve access to justice
  • As digital technology replaces paper-based court processes, it is important to consider development from the perspective of those who use the courts, and to change the language from digital disadvantage to digital inclusion.

The Law Society reports that between 2010 and 2019, almost half the courts in England and Wales were closed. Those that remain have faced significant resourcing challenges, such as reducing judicial sitting hours and the opening hours of public counters.

In response to some of these issues, in 2016, HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) began a £1.2bn court modernisation programme. This programme was supported by the senior judiciary in the document ‘Transforming Our Justice System’. Court modernisation expanded and developed digital court services, replacing some of the traditional, paper-based processes with online and digital, such as the development of the Online Civil Money Claims portal for many small claims

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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