The courts and tribunals modernisation programme is to end a year later than originally planned. HM Courts & Tribunals Service confirmed this week that the £1bn programme will now finish in 2023 to 'allow more time to develop some of the shared systems that sit behind our next set of online services'. So far, progress has included a pilot of fully-video hearings in the tax tribunals; a national system to digitally record the result of court cases; a civil money claims service with more than 51,000 claims made since its launch in March 2018; and online divorce and probate services.
06 March 2019
Modernisation programme extended
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Forbes Solicitors—Stephen Barnfield
Regulatory team boosted by partner hire amid rising health and safety demand
Arc Pensions Law—Kris Weber
Legal director promoted to partner at specialist pensions firm
Clarke Willmott—Jonathan Cree
Residential development capability expands with partner hire in Birmingham
NEWS
From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed
Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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