The Lord Chief Justice announced the launch of a Review of Civil and Family Justice, led by Lord Justice Gillen, at the start of the new legal year on 7 September 2015.
The aim of the Review was to look fundamentally at current procedures for the administration of civil and family justice, with a view to:
- improving access to justice;
- achieving better outcomes for court users, particularly for children and young people;
- creating a more responsive and proportionate system; and
- making better use of available resources, including through the use of new technologies and greater opportunities for digital working.
The main areas to be covered by the review were as follows:
- the jurisdiction of the small claims and county courts
- the types of business that should be conducted within these jurisdictions
- the use of mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, including online options (for example, online dispute resolution)
- opportunities to facilitate and provide support to unrepresented parties
- the workings of the family justice system
- the scale costs system and options for the proportionate recovery of costs
- opportunities for more proportionate use of evidence
- opportunities to streamline court procedures and improve case management, including for the transfer of business between court tiers and the potential for a single entry point for all non-criminal claims
- invocation of modern technology into the court process
Formal launch of the Reports of the Review of Civil and Family Justice - 5 September 2017
The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, the Right Honourable Sir Declan Morgan, and the most senior judge in the Court of Appeal, Lord Justice Gillen, launched two reports produced by a Review Group established to undertake a fundamental review of the civil and family justice systems in this jurisdiction.The reports and a copy of Lord Justice Gillen’s address are available.
Civil and Family Justice Review documentation and Reports
- Civil Family Justice Review Terms of Reference
- Preliminary Family Justice Report
- Preliminary Civil Justice Report
- Review Group's Report on Family Justice
- Review Group's Report on Civil Justice
- Formal launch of reports, Lord Justice Gillen's address
Shadow Family Justice Board
- Minutes of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board Meeting held on 24th October 2022
- Terms of Reference for the Shadow Family Justice Board (PDF 85 KB)
- Minutes of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board Meeting held on 25 April 2022
- Minutes of the Thirteenth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 24 January 2022
- Minutes of the Eleventh Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 17 May 2021
- Minutes of the Tenth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 8 February 2021
- Minutes of the Ninth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 24th September 2020
- Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board scheduled for 21 May 2020 postponed due to COVID-19 - Written Update issued 3 July 2020
- Minutes of the Eighth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 20th February 2020
- Minutes of the Seventh Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 10th October 2019
- Minutes of the Sixth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 12th June 2019
- Minutes of the Fifth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 23rd January 2019
- Minutes of the Fourth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 16th October 2018
- Minutes of the Third Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 5th June 2018
- Minutes of the Second Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board on 7th March 2018
- Minutes of the First Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board held on 13th December 2017
Shadow Family Justice Board Advisory Group
- Minutes of the Sixth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board Advisory Group held on 7th November 2022
- Minutes of the Fifth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board Advisory Group held on 6th June 2022
- Minutes of the Fourth Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board Advisory Group held on 12th August 2021
- Minutes of the Third Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board Advisory Group held on 4th November 2020
- Shadow Family Justice Board Advisory Group Written Update 6 April 2020
- Minutes of the Second Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board Advisory Group held on 4th November 2019
- Minutes of the First Meeting of the Shadow Family Justice Board Advisory Group held on 27th February 2019
Cross Border Conference Group
Shadow Civil Justice Council
- Terms of Reference for the Shadow Civil Justice Council
- Minutes of the 14th Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on the 8 December 2022
- Minutes of the Thirteenth Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 15th September 2022
- Minutes of the Twelfth Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on the 10 March 2022
- Minutes of the Eleventh meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council Held on 9th December 2021
- Minutes of the Tenth meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 16 September 2021
- Minutes of the Ninth meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 27 April 2021
- Minutes of the Eighth Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 19 January 2021
- Minutes of the Seventh Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 9 September 2020
- Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council scheduled for 16th June 2020 postponed due to COVID-19
- Minutes of the Sixth Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 11 March 2020
- Minutes of the Fifth Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 17th September 2019
- Minutes of the Fourth Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 26th March 2019
- Minutes of the Third Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 13th November 2018
- Minutes of the Second Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 6th March 2018
- Minutes of the First Meeting of the Shadow Civil Justice Council held on 9th October 2017
Shadow Civil Justice Council Advisory Group
Shadow Civil Justice Council Advisory Group Written Update 7 April 2020