Contact the Dispute Resolution Team
Exeter 01392 210700 Email
St Austell 01726 74433 Email
Truro 01872 265100 Email
Catherine Mathews comments on the Court service's targets for 2010/11.
Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS) has published its business plan for 2010/11, setting out the organisation's targets. It suggests a range of initiatives intended to benefit court users. For the civil courts, the focus is on providing fair and simple routes to justice through the provision of early advice and support and enabling claimants to begin civil cases online, and re-shaping the court service so that it is accessible outside of normal office hours and less costly to run.
Within the next five to ten years, it is intended that:
- Administrative work will be centralised at dedicated business centres and there will be a specialist network of hearing centres.
- There will be a broader range of channels for accessing advice and guidance, such as telephone helpdesks and web-based guidance tools.
- Parties will be offered alternative, video or telephony-enabled means of attending court hearings.
There is also a vision for a cheaper, faster and more proportionate enforcement system achieving a significantly higher degree of compliance with court orders.
Mediation will continue to be promoted and claimants will also be directed to other dispute resolution services.
If implemented, the initiatives will undoubtedly be welcomed by parties to disputes and their legal advisers.
If you have a claim or dispute or are already involved in court proceedings and would like advice, please contact Catherine Mathews. Catherine specialises in commercial and contract litigation. She also deals with consumer disputes (including those relating to holidays, timeshare, cars and financial services) and professional negligence claims. Catherine is a member of the Dispute Resolution Team in Exeter. The Team is described as "exceptional" in the Legal 500 2010 independent directory.
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