From today, courts and tribunals have new powers to allow reporters and other members of the public to observe hearings remotely, under new s.85A of the Courts Act 2003 and the Remote Observation and Recording (Courts and Tribunals) Regulations 2022. The Lord Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals have issued practice guidance to … Read more

The Commercial Court annual report (2020-2021) was published last week. In her introduction, Mrs Justice Cockerill, Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court, notes that while the legal year was in a sense headlined by Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, in operational terms both had a smaller impact on the court than might have been … Read more

The 11th edition of the Commercial Court Guide was published last week, reflecting a variety of changes to court practice. The new edition includes amendments to reflect new ways of working prompted, in part, by the Covid-19 pandemic. So, for example, parties and their legal representatives are encouraged to minimise the use of paper. Bundles … Read more

On 6 September 2021, the government published its response to the 2019 consultation paper, Extending Fixed Recoverable Costs in Civil Cases: Implementing Sir Rupert Jackson’s Proposals (considered here). The response notes that it has been delayed principally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the name suggests, a fixed recoverable costs (FRC) regime fixes the amount … Read more

The Lord Chief Justice’s Report 2020 was laid before Parliament yesterday. It notes, unsurprisingly, that the last seven months have been dominated by the courts’ response to the Covid-19 pandemic – a response which has been remarkably successful in civil commercial cases, with a widespread move to video and telephone hearings to allow the administration … Read more

On Monday 7 September, the Commercial Court presented its first virtual seminar as part of the celebration of the Court’s 125th anniversary, entitled: “Year 126 and onwards: planning for the future of London’s Commercial Court“. Chaired by Lord Justice Flaux, the Supervising Lord Justice for the Commercial Court, the event comprised panel sessions on virtual … Read more

The Civil Justice Council (CJC) has published its report and recommendations following a “rapid review” of the impact of Covid-19 on the civil justice system. The review was undertaken in the first half of May 2020 at the request of the Master of the Rolls. Unsurprisingly, the report states that the measures put in place … Read more

In a recent case, the High Court has rejected a party’s application to adjourn a five-week trial that is due to commence in June this year, where that would have meant a year’s delay before the trial could be held: In the matter of One Blackfriars Ltd [2020] EWHC 845 (Ch). The decision underlines the … Read more