Has the revolution happened? Can we ever go back?

by Paul M | Aug 25, 2020 | Consultations, Transparency News, Trends

The Lord Chief Justice called it “the biggest pilot project that the justice system has ever seen” and said “there will be no going back to February 2020”. Remote court hearings would have come sooner or later, but thanks to Covid-19 they came at us fast, in March...

Another recusal refusal – but this time the Court of Appeal steps in

by Paul M | Aug 3, 2020 | Analysis, Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

In the second such case in a month, a judge has refused to recuse herself at the request of a litigant, but on this occasion the Court of Appeal has reversed that decision and ordered that she step down from the case and let another judge take over.  In the...

Recusal refusal: judge declines to step down in response to litigant’s suspicions of apparent bias

by Paul M | Jul 17, 2020 | Cases, Comment, Explanation

In an earlier post we described how a judge refused to allow a McKenzie Friend to speak in court on behalf of a litigant in person. In a further judgment in the same case, Ameyaw v McGoldrick [2020] EWHC 1787 (QB), Mrs Justice Steyn refused the litigant’s application...

Right of audience denied: McKenzie Friend not allowed to speak for litigant who was ‘well able to speak on her own behalf’

by Paul M | Jul 5, 2020 | Cases, Comment, Explanation

The recent case of Ameyaw v McGoldrick [2020] EWHC 1741 (QB) offers a cautionary tale about McKenzie Friends and what they can and can’t do for you in court. In this case the judge, Mrs Justice Steyn, refused to allow the MF to make oral submissions on behalf of...

Civil Justice Council report on the impact of COVID-19 on civil courts

by Paul M | Jun 7, 2020 | Comment, Transparency News, Trends

“The rapid expansion of the use of remote hearings has been central to facilitating the continued operation of the justice system”, notes Dr Natalie Byrom in the introduction to her report, for the Civil Justice Council, examining the impact of the changes mandated by...