12 September 2023
The Civil Justice Council published part one of its final report on Pre-Action Protocols (PAPs) in late August 2023, following the commencement of its review in late 2020.
Firstly, they are here to stay. The report commented that they have an increasingly important role in providing an opportunity for parties to avoid the court system altogether or at least facilitate the narrowing of the issues in dispute by requiring the parties to engage at an early stage. The recommendations are not intended to fundamentally alter the existing framework for the regulation of the parties' pre-action conduct. The report does not extend the court's powers either – it is more about how they can be digitised for smaller claims and re-emphasising their place in the litigation process more generally.
The second part of the review will focus on new litigation specific PAPs (including a bespoke PAP for high value commercial litigation). If you would like to discuss part one of the Civil Justice Council's final report, please contact our Disputes & investigation team.
by Saleem Fazal MBE and Tom Charnley