Civil Court delays will harm UK businesses, legal experts say
Legal experts have warned that record long civil court delays will create complications for UK businesses, after new data showed claimants must now face 74 weeks waiting times before their cases are heard.
Claimants are being forced to wait for more than a year for their cases to be heard in civil courts, new data from Thomson Reuters shows.
The 74-week average wait times civil claimants now face remain more than a fifth higher than the 58-week wait times claimants faced before the pandemic.
The record wait times come as a result of court closures in the early days of the pandemic, and the knock-on effects of judges, lawyers, and others having to self-isolate due to Covid-19.
Raichel Hopkinson, director of practical law dispute resolution at Thomson Reuters, said the delays will create complications for British businesses, as UK companies will be forced to wait for more than year to settle any claims.
“Delays in the civil courts have created complications for businesses, with litigants in some cases having to wait well over a year before having their claims heard,” Hopkinson said.
“The challenges that the judicial system has faced in the past two years were unprecedented,” Hopkinson said.
“Considering the enormous upheaval brought about by the pandemic, the civil courts should be commended for doing a fantastic job in keeping the system moving against the odds
She added that small claims hearings face the longest delays, as she noted that many small claims cases are not suited to remote hearings.
“The UK’s court system has to compete for funds with other areas of the public sector so it is understandable that it is not always considered a priority for increased budgets.”