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31 October 2025
Issue: 8137 / Categories: Legal News , Technology , Rule of law , Artificial intelligence , Legal services
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NLJ this week: Building digital bridges to justice

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With chronic underfunding and rising demand leaving thousands without legal help, technology could transform access to justice—if handled wisely, writes Professor Sue Prince of the University of Exeter in this week's NLJ

The new Online Procedure Rule Committee (OPRC), created under the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022, proposes inclusive digital standards and partnerships linking pre-action platforms, ombuds services and the courts. Prince argues for collaboration between public and private providers to create interoperable systems that ensure reliable, affordable online pathways for litigants.

While initiatives from the Ministry of Justice and Lawtech UK promise innovation, most legal tech still targets commercial users, leaving individuals behind. The challenge, Prince warns, is not just digital inclusion but credibility: without trustworthy, accessible tools co-designed with NGOs and practitioners, the justice gap will only widen—a digital divide in the making. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Charles Russell Speechlys—James Paterson

Charles Russell Speechlys—James Paterson

Charles Russell Speechlys further bolsters Private Equity expertise with the appointment of James Paterson

Ellisons—Samuel Flower

Ellisons—Samuel Flower

Ellisons strengthens Rural Affairs team with senior appointment

Sidley—Carl Hotton

Sidley—Carl Hotton

Sidley adds insurance mergers and acquisitions partner to London office

NEWS
A deputy costs judge correctly exercised his discretion to allow late service rather than strike out the point of dispute, the Court of Appeal has held
Prince Harry, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and five others have lost their case against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, in Various Claimants v Associated Newspapers [2026] EWHC 1637 (KB)
Public confidence in the justice system is being undermined by a lack of accessible, useable data, magistrates have warned
The Sentencing Council has launched draft guidelines for facilitation and endangering another person during a sea crossing to the UK
Government proposals to make independent written legal advice a prerequisite for workplace non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) may prove unworkable, according to a senior employment lawyer
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