Hold the line

Interlocutory hearings by telephone were regarded as a novelty when the civil justice reforms were introduced on 26 April 1999. They represented the first cautious step in the exploitation of technology in the context of civil court procedure.

Following the initial pilot operating in Newcastle upon Tyne—with the county courts at Bedford and Luton joining in later—the scheme was extended last year. Now, thanks to the 44th update of the Civil Procedure Rules, the scheme will join us permanently and nationally as from 6 April  2007.
Where the intent, a phone line and a conference receiver have coincided, telephone hearings have proved popular and saved considerable costs, particularly if the parties’ legal representatives are located some distance from the court.

Reviews and requests

It is a presumption that all allocation and listing hearings and interim applications, case management conferences and pre-trial reviews with a time estimate of less than an hour will be dealt with by telephone via a court service approved telecommunications provider.