As of 4 July 2017, Courts in many UK cities became known as the “Business and Property Courts of England & Wales” in an attempt to deploy talented lawyers nationwide and reinforce Britain’s position at the forefront of dispute resolution post-Brexit.
Business and Property Courts (“B & PCs”) in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Cardiff are set to introduce modern procedures ensuring quicker and more flexible trials.
Made possible by combining elements of London’s specialist ‘Queen’s Bench Division’ with the expertise of those at regional centres; this strategy aims to open up more opportunities than ever before for international and British businesses to receive quality dispute resolution.
Also, by encouraging the implementation of new technology in these Courts, the government continues with its digitalisation of the Court system – which began in London back in April.
Advantages
As well as moving to a name that everyone can understand, these changes will significantly affect the regions involved as well as any businesses surrounding them.
Some of the most notable changes are as follows:
- Stronger links between London and regional B & PCs – More opportunities for cases of all sizes to be heard in Courts at or near their original destination – minimizing waiting times;
- Flexible cross-deployment of judges – By developing a more integrated system of B & PC’s, lawyers of high expertise can sit in cases all across the country; and
- Adoption of familiar procedures – Building on the reputation of specialist Courts whilst utilising new technology to its full potential, should allow for a continuous provision of efficient services.
Impact
Rather than being a case of re-branding, these changes represent a significant re-organisation of the litigation process for business and property disputes in the UK.
Ultimately, the creation of “The Business and Property Courts of England & Wales” should cut trial and waiting times to their shortest whilst ensuring cases are handled by the appropriate specialist judges regardless of their location.
For more information on this, or to discuss any business related dispute, please contact Oliver Spence on 0115 9 100 206.
Posted on August 4, 2017