If you’re involved in a dispute and want to take legal advice or action that will still be possible even under the present restrictions. The government has ordered that court business should continue as far as possible as normal. Documents can be filed electronically, as we have been doing for some time for some cases, and hearings can be held via video or telephone-conferencing. Many decisions of the court are already taken without a hearing after consideration of the parties’ cases on paper only.

It should also be pointed out that the vast majority of cases are settled either before a claim has been started at court or while a hearing is pending. This involves negotiation between the parties’ representatives via correspondence and sometimes mediation sessions with the parties themselves present. These activities can continue with the help of email and online meeting services.

Our experience so far is that counsel are happy to be instructed to advise on the merits of cases and on strategy, which they are perfectly able to do without having face-to-face meetings with clients.

If you have an ongoing case with us and have questions about how it will proceed, get in touch with your solicitor by telephone or email as normal. If you are not a client but have received a solicitor’s letter or court correspondence identifying you as a party to a dispute, don’t ignore it assuming that rules on response deadlines have been relaxed. Seek advice and be ready to deal with the matter as under the usual rules. Similarly if you are considering bringing a claim you should be aware that time limits have not been suspended, so don’t delay.

We will be happy to assist.