Did you know?
Every six months, at the beginning of the year and half way through the year, Practical Law Dispute Resolution puts together an article which aims to summarise all of the main developments that will affect civil litigation and ADR practitioners for the next few months. Last week we published the most recent of these documents, Practical Law Dispute Resolution: What to expect in the second half of 2017.
What kinds of developments are covered?
The article covers procedural reforms coming down the road, with dates where known (such as the revised date for mandatory use of the new bill of costs), what to expect by way of civil court reforms in the future, information and dates for ongoing pilot schemes, developments in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), substantive law developments, and information about EU and cross-border developments. In addition, for the first time, the document published last week has a table of significant appeals and rulings expected in the next few months. The table includes the name of the case and a very brief summary of the decision under appeal, the issue in the appeal which we consider to be of particular interest, and the current status of the appeal. The appeals listed in the article last week cover topics ranging from costs and funding to jurisdiction, negligence and insurance.
Some highlights
We live in interesting times in the legal world, with changes coming thick and fast, including significant court reforms and the introduction of technology such as e-filing and the proposed Online Court, not to mention Brexit which will inevitably have wide-ranging consequences.
Highlights in the current What to expect article include the proposed extension of the fixed costs regime, the Civil Procedure Rule Committee’s work to reduce the volume and complexity of the Civil Procedure Rules (including naming the rules under consideration now and in the near future), an update on work to deliver the Online Court, and the introduction of the Business and Property Courts.
Important EU and cross-border developments include Brexit (of course), consideration of a proposal to revise the EU Service Regulation and work on a joint project to develop European rules of civil procedure.
Staying on top of what is coming down the line
Of course, we also monitor such developments on an ongoing basis and report on them in our legal updates and in our Practical Law Dispute Resolution: what to expect: tracker. You may also find our Key dates: Dispute Resolution calendar on the Dispute Resolution home page helpful. But if you want a document that draws all of these developments together in one place, look out for our What to expect articles every six months. The articles will help you plan for forthcoming changes and ensure that you and your clients are not caught out.
