A new approach to civil litigation? The implementation of the 'woolf reforms' and judicial case management

AuthorSusan Moloney
PositionB.A., LL.M., College Lecturer in Law, U.C.C.
Pages98-109
A NEW APPROACH TO CIVIL LITIGATION?
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
“WOOLF REFORMS”
AND JUDICIAL CASE MANAGEMENT
SUSAN MOLONEY*
There is now widespread support from judges,
lawyers and academics, as well as from those
who use the courts, for a new approach to civil
litigation.
(Lord Woolf, “Access to Justice: Interim
Report”)
I. INTRODUCTION
The civil litigation process in Ireland and Britain has
attracted much criticism in recent years. It was against this
background of criticism that the Working Group on a Courts
Commission was appointed to make recommendations on
how the Irish courts could be better managed and Lord Woolf
was appointed to review the rules and procedures of the civil
court system in England and Wales. The aim of this paper is
to assess the impact of the Civil Procedure Reforms which
were introduced in England and Wales in April 1999,
(following Lord Woolf’s inquiry), and to consider what
lessons can be learned by the Irish Courts Service and
judiciary.
II. BACKGROUND TO THE ACCESS TO JUSTICE REPORT
In 1994, Lord Woolf was asked to review the rules
and procedures of the civil courts in England and Wales. The
aims of the review were:
yto improve access to justice and reduce the costs
of litigation;
98 Judicial Studies Institute Journal [2:1
* B.A., LL.M., College Lecturer in Law, U.C.C.

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