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21 May 2021 / Shirley Denyer
Issue: 7933 / Categories: Features , Profession , Insurance / reinsurance , Procedure & practice
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Civil justice: no going back?

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Where now for the civil justice system post-COVID, asks Shirley Denyer
  • Service of documents including proceedings.
  • Remote hearings and e-documents.

As anyone involved in civil justice will know, the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in a transformation of the system. With the judiciary, legal representatives and parties confined to their homes, and attendance at court rendered impossible, the court service rose to the occasion to maintain access to justice.

Changes to the system impossible to imagine in February 2020 have become the norm. Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) members recognise fully the enormous pressure the crisis placed on the court service and are very appreciative of the hard work and commitment that has been shown to keep the system in operation.

With the vaccine programme now well underway in the UK, with some hope of normality returning, attention is turning to the longer-term implications of the pandemic on court reform. In effect, COVID has been the catalyst for the biggest pilot scheme ever experienced in the court service and it is right to now use that experience in considering

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