Civil and family cases being adjourned “for no apparently good reason”: Bar Council

Many civil and family cases are being adjourned “for no apparently good reason”, the Chair of the Bar Council, Amanda Pinto QC, has claimed.

In her latest message on COVID-19 to members, she said the Bar Council had been repeatedly asking HMCTS for the figures on those civil and family cases going ahead (whether remotely or in person) and those being adjourned.

Pinto wrote: “Our own evidence from barristers, via the Circuit Leaders and SBAs, suggests many hearings are being adjourned rather than taking place remotely, which should be the default position.

“This is a genuine concern for the delivery of justice and for the sustainability of the profession.”

The Bar Council Chair called on barristers to keep providing the organisation with their own experiences, as these are then fed into HMCTS and the senior judiciary “so that they are immediately informed”.

She added: “Again, with your help, we are providing evidence of what the real picture of justice is on a day-to-day basis. Once we can, we will give you the ‘official’ figures.”