England: Briggs report details online court proposals

Lord Justice Briggs has given his backing to the pilot online court scheme, which could results in tens of thousands of cases being dealt with annually online.

He said: “The online court project offers a radically new and different procedural and cultural approach to the resolution of civil disputes.”

In welcoming the report, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, said: “Lord Justice Briggs has delivered a detailed and innovative final report, which the senior judiciary – working with the government and HM Courts and Tribunal Service – will now consider with care.

“While a number of the reforms being recommended are already an integral part of the HMCTS reform programme, such as the online court, the report has benefited from wide consultation which will help to improve the design and planning of those reforms.

“Completion of a review of this magnitude within twelve months is a considerable achievement, and I congratulate Michael Briggs on its depth and clarity of thought.”

The Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson, with whom Lord Thomas jointly commissioned the review, said: “The civil justice system is facing a number of challenges and pressures, of which Lord Justice Briggs has provided a masterly analysis. He has given us ample food for thought on how the system can be modernised and made more efficient.

“I commend the care with which he has sought views, and the insightful thinking which he has applied to his review. It will fall to my successor and others to consider his recommendations, but the system owes him a considerable debt.”