A new pilot will, for the first time, give the public online access to key court documents from commercial cases: LSLA president Nikki Edwards hails a major step toward open justice
- A two-year pilot, starting January 2026, will allow non-parties online access to a defined set of documents used in public hearings in the Commercial Court, London Circuit Commercial Court, and Financial List.
- The scheme introduces clear filing rules and a mechanism to balance transparency with confidentiality, addressing prior procedural gaps and practitioner concerns.
- Though challenges remain around costs, collateral use, and administrative load, the pilot is a key milestone in advancing open justice.
After a long period of consultation, the access to public domain documents pilot under Practice Direction 51ZH has now been published and will come into force in January.
This two-year pilot will, for the first time, provide non-parties with online access to a defined set of documents deployed by parties in public hearings in the Commercial Court, London Circuit Commercial Court, and the Financial List.
The pilot is a direct response to the Supreme
