Bristol in line for new breed of Business and Property Courts

Bristol has been announced as a location for the rollout of the new Business and Property Courts.

The courts, which will be based at the Bristol Civil and Family Justice Centre, will formally open on 14 July. This is a week after the Business and Property Courts in Birmingham are due to be launched by the Lord Chief Justice.

The Business and Property Courts are intended to combine the strengths of the Chancery Division in Bristol with the specialist courts of the Queen’s Bench Division, Technology and Construction (TCC) and Mercantile, and will introduce flexible listing and modern procedures.

Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court, and Sir Geoffrey Vos, Chancellor of the High Court, said: “At the Business and Property Courts in Bristol, we shall aim to meet three objectives: (1) ensuring that each case is managed to deliver progress to trial without delay, (2) trial by the most appropriate judge (whether a member of the resident specialist judiciary or a High Court Judge), and (3) the provision of an efficient and effective service utilising modern technology to best advantage…..

“We look forward to a new era for specialist civil litigation serving the Western Region.”