header-logo header-logo

Navigating the new normal

04 June 2020 / Sadie Whittam
Issue: 7889 / Categories: Features , Profession
printer mail-detail
22069
Sadie Whittam discusses civil litigation in the age of pandemic & beyond
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a disruptor, forcing the courts in England and Wales to test the effectiveness of remote justice.
  • The move to wholly remote hearings is a challenge, but also an exciting opportunity.
  • If successful, remote justice may be the solution to improving access to justice in the post-pandemic world.

Pre COVID-19, HM Courts and Tribunals Service had started a £1bn reform of the court system. The reform programme, due to complete in December 2023, aimed to modernise the justice system, implementing technology and new ways of working, with the laudable aim of making the courts more efficient and more accessible to the public.

Fast forward to May 2020. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a disruptor in every sector, and the courts and tribunals system has been no exception. As courts close across the globe, governments and the legal sector have been forced to adapt, trialling new and creative

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

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
back-to-top-scroll