On 21 May 2007 the LSLA held a series of presentations for High Court Judges. Forty members of the judiciary attended, including the Master of the Rolls, The Lord Chief Justice and the Chancellor. The LSLA gave four presentations covering:

• Statements of Case (Graham Huntley, Lovells);
• Disclosure (Nick Burkill, Dorsey & Whitney);
• Witness Statements (Simon Davis, Clifford Chance);
• Experts' Reports (Georgina Squire, Rosling King).

Each presentation was then followed by a discussion session moderated by Sir Richard Aikens and Mr Justice Michael Briggs. The overall Master of Ceremonies was Mr Justice David Steel, Head of the Commercial Court.

The purpose of the event was to provide for the judiciary an up-to-date summary of the amount and nature of work required by solicitors and their clients in complying with the Civil Procedure Rules and Case Management Directions and to explore ways of streamlining procedure and cost.

It is an excellent example of litigation solicitors and the judiciary working in partnership to enhance the benefits of the High Court for clients seeking to resolve their disputes promptly and efficiently.

We will be exploring with the judiciary other similar events. In the meantime, Simon Davis and Graham Huntley of the LSLA are both on the Commercial Court Working Party chaired by Sir Richard Aikens. This is exploring lessons to be learned from the big cases which collapsed last year.

If at any stage LSLA members have suggestions for how our Civil System of Justice should be improved, please do not hesitate to email or call any of the committee members.