Reforms designed to cut the cost of civil litigation to be reviewed says Judge

Parts of the new rules designed to cut the cost of civil litigation are to be reviewed by the judge responsible for implementing the reforms.

Mr Justice Ramsey, charged with introducing the Jackson reforms (see Brunel News July), revealed that he will review parts of the legislation causing problems for lawyers.

The majority of the Jackson reforms came into effect in April 2013 through the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act.  Six months after the Act was passed Mr Justice Ramsey told the Law Society Gazette that he will lead a team of three to look into a number of outstanding issues with the aim of ensuring that the underlying principles are coming out of the reforms.  These include concerns over the bill of costs, pre-action costs and case management.

“We applaud the continued efforts of Mr Justice Ramsey to take the Jackson reforms forward,” said James Burgoyne, Director Brunel Professional Risks.  “We are already seeing positive effects from the reforms. Reducing speculative claims and the cost of litigation  is good news for professional firms and their insurers.”