Dominic Regan marks the end of an era & sets the record straight
On 7 March Sir Rupert Jackson celebrates his 70th birthday and will retire from the judiciary. I have been stalking the poor man since the summer of 2009. It was in Manchester that I first encountered him. He was on the road, taking soundings about reforms. Upon being promoted to the Court of Appeal he received the call to pop in and have a chat with the then Master of the Rolls. Lord Justice Jackson emerged with a monstrous task. He had a year in which to review the civil litigation infrastructure. His objective was to deliver justice at proportionate cost.
Drastic change
The final report, which he delivered one bitter morning in January 2010, was a blockbuster. The detail was comprehensive, while the recommendations went far beyond anything anticipated. His condemnation of ‘grotesque’ costs generated by allowing the recovery of additional liabilities stood out. The fundamentals of funding had to change. Several commentators (not me) said, ‘It will never happen’. It did. On 1 April 2013 over 100 rule
