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A fresh approach

18 October 2013 / Peter Causton
Issue: 7580 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice
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 Peter Causton casts an eye over recent plans to modernise the Chancery Division

When Briggs LJ turned his attention to the modernisation of the Chancery Division, he faced a mammoth task and this is reflected in his 162-page Chancery Modernisation Review: Provisional Report.

It is apparent from the report that the decision-making in the Division is held in high regard and that there is no requirement for radical reform, so the focus is upon cultural change. No discussion of the Division can be complete without mentioning Dickens’ Bleak House, which some might consider to be the first review of the Division. Briggs LJ reports that there was no hint of the old Bleak House criticism in the consultation responses, but there are problems which do need addressing. He identifies long delays in obtaining hearings before registrars and criticises the lack of modern IT. Judges have no electronic diaries and there is no electronic filing system. There are unacceptable delays in drawing up orders and an absence of effective means of communication

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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
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
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
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
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
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
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