header-logo header-logo

01 October 2009 / Martin Bonney
Issue: 7387 / Categories: Features , Technology
printer mail-detail

Playing by the rules

Procedure & principle count in e-disclosure. Martin Bonney explains why

The principles of disclosure are once again being scrutinised as Lord Justice Jackson continues his fundamental review of the costs of civil litigation.

His review was commissioned by the Master of the Rolls in response to the perceived rise in the cost of civil litigation amongst both those bringing claims and those that most regularly have to foot the bill. Jackson’s key question throughout is: how can justice be done while keeping the costs proportionate? In his interim report—published in May—he has laid out a range options for reform to the system, many of them quite extensive.

This is no less true of e-disclosure than other areas and the report contains considerable analysis of e-disclosure, contained in ch 40, 41.

Jackson has identified the discovery process as one of the major contributors to the cost of civil litigation and has made it clear that this is one of the key aspects that he intends to address when his final recommendations are published at

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

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

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
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’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
back-to-top-scroll