Revised Practice Directions
6 September 2012
Changes to come into effect from 1 October 2012
The UKSC/JCPC Users' Group has proposed that the timetable for filing the core volumes and authorities volumes should be amended to allow a full two weeks after the respondent's case has been filed. The earlier part of the timetable is being brought forward by one week with the respondent's case still coming two weeks after the appellant's case. That would give a pattern of six, four and two weeks as opposed to five, three and two. It is hoped that the six, four, two timetable would help with finalising references in printed cases and possibly avoid references to tab numbers alone for authorities without identifying which authorities volume is relevant.
The Justices have approved the necessary revisions to Practice Directions 6 and 7 and these changes will come into force on 1 October 2012.
Since several Justices use the loose copies of the parties' cases which are filed before the authorities are lodged, it was agreed that the bulk of the loose copies of the cases would be filed two weeks before the hearing so they could include the required cross references. This would mean that the Justices who prefer to work from loose copies of the cases would have copies that include the same cross-references as the versions bound into the core volumes. Thus, at the respective times for the formal filing of the appellant's and respondent's cases (i.e. the 6 week and 4 week points), the parties only need to file three copies with the court in addition to serving a copy on the other party.
These provisions will also come into force on 1 October 2012.
Practice Directions
All JCPC Practice Directions can be viewed on our Practice Directions section.