Bulletins | November 1, 2017

Forthcoming pilots to potentially change the way the Court system works

Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Services (HMCTS) have recently published how they propose that the Courts (in England and Wales) should work differently moving forwards.

In order to test the proposals, pilots are going to be carried out in 11 Courtrooms and the idea is that an independent organisation will assess matters following the pilots to ascertain whether the Court system could operate more smoothly and efficiently if flexible hours are introduced.

Lawyers have also been asked for feedback on the current proposals and the Chief Executive of HMCTS has indicated that they are seeking “…further ideas for how we might make the system work effectively for all, including looking further at wider court listing and scheduling issues”.

The pilots are said to be taking place across the “Crown, Magistrates, Civil and Family jurisdictions”, with the results of the pilots expected to be released in late 2018.

I await with interest to see how the pilots run and any changes that may be brought about to the way the current Family Court system runs and the consequent impact that may have on the Court users.