Specialist judges from London’s Technology and Construction Court (TCC) are due to participate in a fourteen month pilot of the TCC’s new Court Settlement Process.
Running from 1st June 2006 until 31st July 2007, the pilot will allow judges to assist in achieving settlements as part of their case management role under the Civil Procedure Rules, without delaying the normal court process. If satisfactory, the procedure will then be formally incorporated into the TCC guide.
The judges have been given additional training in dispute resolution techniques, and their expertise should be especially useful in cases where the current range of resolution methods – including Early Neutral Evaluation and mediation – are not appropriate.
The Court Settlement Process was devised after a general consultation, and will be used where it is requested by the parties and the case managing judge feels that they should be able to achieve an amicable settlement and that a TCC judge will be able to assist. He may then, as part of the Court procedure, offer a Court Settlement Process. If that is accepted by all parties, he or another TCC judge will make a Court Settlement Order which includes a date for a Court Settlement Conference. The Court Settlement Process will then be conducted according to the order and if a settlement is not reached, the case will proceed.
Notes to Editors
Full details of the Court Settlement Process and Court Settlement Orders may be found here.
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