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16 September 2010 / Jovita Vassallo
Issue: 7433 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice
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The new litigation landscape

The judiciary is increasingly taking a pragmatic approach to case management and using its discretion—enshrined in the Civil Procedure Rules—to the widest degree, with radical consequences.

The judiciary is increasingly taking a pragmatic approach to case management and using its discretion—enshrined in the Civil Procedure Rules—to the widest degree, with radical consequences.

It seems that committees are regularly being set up to reform litigation practice and procedure, the latest being the under-secretary of state for justice’s announcement, on 26 July 2010, that there will be a consultation this autumn on Lord Justice Jackson’s proposals for the reform of litigation funding arrangements. Practitioners have no choice but to take advantage of the new order, or be left behind.

This article focuses on electronic or “e-”working and how the fast pace of reform of litigation practice and the persistent judicial drive to reduce costs is impacting on preparation for trial. The second article will focus on preparing and serving evidence, tactical steps and how digitalised documents can be recycled for use in witness statements. The

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
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