The prospect of an exclusively online court settling claims valued at up to £25,000 took a step forward last week with the publication of Lord Justice Briggs’ civil courts review. 

Rightmove exits HIPs

Several home information pack (HIP) providers are likely to follow the lead of property website company Rightmove and withdraw from the market, leaving solicitors to remain at the heart of the conveyancing process, it has been claimed.  

Proposals for a shake-up of the European Court of Justice were unveiled last week by the UK government. They include limiting the retrospective effect of the court’s judgments and introducing an appeals procedure. 

The Monopolies Commission has concluded that, because all forms of personal advertisement and publicity and of touting are forbidden to solicitors, a monopoly situation exists. The present restrictions operate against the public interest, said the Commission.

Solicitors question the right to close Quarter Sessions to solicitor-advocates. In only four or five sessions solicitors have an equal right of audience to that of counsel and these are mainly in Wales, where the need is perhaps inspired by the requirement to have advocates readily available who can speak the language.

The Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions will be closed on Saturdays. In a case of extreme urgency arising on a Saturday morning, it will be possible to obtain the home phone number of the duty officer.