UK civil litigation timeline
The package of reforms recommended by Lord Justice Jackson in 2009 represented wholesale change to the civil litigation landscape. Our timeline illustrates what has happened since and what we expect to unfold going forward.
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Nov 2023
Online civil money claims pilot extended from 30 November 2021
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31 Dec 2022
End of disclosure pilot in Business and Property Court
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October 2022
Fixed recoverable costs to be extended in England and Wales
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2 June 2022
Damages claims portal becomes mandatory for defendants
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4 April 2022
Damages claims portal becomes mandatory for all claimant solicitors with any claim for damages in the County Court
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April 2022
Small claims limit increases from £1,000 to £1,500 for personal injury arising out of EL and PL claims
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1 Oct 2021
New guideline hourly rates come into force
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6 Sep 2021
Government responds to fixed recoverable costs consultation
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August 2021
Call for Evidence launched on the future of dispute resolution in England and Wales
Related item: More needs to be done to encourage the use of technology to facilitate settlement
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Summer 2021
Interim report on the court modernisation programme expected
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30 June 2021
QOCS applies in Scotland
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31 May 2021
Implementation of whiplash reforms and the Official Injury Claim portal
Introduction of the amended discount rate of minus 1.75% in Northern Ireland
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28 May 2021
Damages claims pilot launched
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6 Apr 2021
Practice Direct 57AC applies to witness statements in the Business and Property Courts
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Feb 2021
Consultation on increasing the jurisdiction of County Court in Northern Ireland
Related item: Proposed reform of County Court civil jurisdiction in Northern Ireland – striking the right balance
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13 Jan 2021
End of cost capping pilot in Business and Property Court for cases valued £100,000 to £250,000
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Oct 2019
Commencement of large scale user testing of the new ‘Whiplash Portal’
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1 Oct 2019
Discount rate in Scotland will continue at minus 0.75%
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2 Sep 2019
Commencement of the flexible courts hours pilot
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5 Aug 2019
New discount rate of minus 0.25% in force in England and Wales.
For more information on pre-2019 discount rates updates, see our discount rate timeline. -
6 Jun 2019
Consultation on extending the scope of fixed recoverable costs ends
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Apr 2019
Claims management companies enter FCA regulation
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28 Mar 2019
Consultation launched on extending fixed recoverable costs - horizontally and vertically to claims valued up to £100,000
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19 Mar 2019
Commencement of the first review of the personal injury discount rate
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7 Feb 2019
Post-implementation review of Part 2 of LASPO completed
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14 Jan 2019
Capped costs pilot begins in the Business and Property Courts for cases valued between £100,000 and £250,000
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20 Dec 2018
Civil Liability Act 2018 receives Royal Assent
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30 Nov 2018
Commencement of virtual online hearing pilot for default judgments
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28 Jun 2018
Post-implementation review of Part 2 LASPO commenced
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5 Jun 2018
Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018 receives Royal Assent
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12 Sep 2017
Commencement of county court online pilot for money claims up to £25,000
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31 Jul 2017
Commencement of online county court pilot for money claims up to £10,000
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31 Jul 2017
Publication of Jackson’s Supplemental Report on Fixed Recoverable Costs
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27 Jul 2016
Publication of the Briggs Report: Civil Courts Structure Review
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31 Jul 2013
Horizontal and vertical extension of the Claims Portal to include RTA claims and EL and PL claims between £1,000 and £25,000
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1 May 2012
Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) 2012 receives Royal Assent
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Apr 2010
Claims Portal for RTA motor personal injury claims valued between £1,000 and £10,000 introduced
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14 Jan 2010
Publication of Lord Jackson’s Review of Civil Litigation Costs: Final Report
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Deborah Newberry
Corporate Affairs Director - London
+44 20 7667 9508