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20 November 2009 / Richard Chapman
Issue: 7394 / Categories: Opinion , Costs
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The next Big Bang?

Do you remember Big Bang in April 1999? It heralded the implementation of the civil litigation procedural reforms devised and trailed extensively by Lord Woolf. They were designed to “save expense” and to ensure that cases were dealt with “proportionately”.

Do you remember Big Bang in April 1999? It heralded the implementation of the civil litigation procedural reforms devised and trailed extensively by Lord Woolf. They were designed to “save expense” and to ensure that cases were dealt with “proportionately”.

The Woolf reforms were widely trailed over a period of some four years following the publication of the Interim Report in June 1995, the Final Report being published in July 1996. Do you remember the names of the five assessors who assisted Lord Woolf in the preparation of his Interim and Final Reports? Yes, one was indeed Rupert Jackson QC (as he then was). Annex 3 to the Final Report comprised a summary of the main findings in a survey of litigation costs.

Jackson LJ (as he now is) has set about the task

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

Freeths—Michelle Kirkland Elias

International hospitality and leisure specialist joins corporate team as partner

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Flint Bishop—Deborah Niven

Firm appoints head of intellectual property to drive northern growth

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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