A new edition of the Chancery Guide, covering procedural matters in the Chancery Division, has been published and came into force on 29 July. This Guide has been wholly rewritten and is the first new edition since 2016.
The 2022 Update
The new Guide takes account of the various changes, including technological changes and new practices that have developed, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, it indicates that procedural hearings with a time estimate of half a day or less will take place remotely unless the court orders otherwise. Detailed guidance on the preparation and conduct of remote and hybrid hearings is set out in an appendix to the Guide.
Parties are also encouraged to minimise the use of paper. Unless a hard copy is specifically requested by the court, bundles for hearings and trials are to be filed only electronically. The Guide also provides up-to-date guidance on page limits for statements of case and skeleton arguments.
How Are Claimants Affected?
Importantly for litigants, the new Guide aims to align the content of the Guide with those for the other courts in Business and Property Courts, including the new edition of the Commercial Court guide, published in February 2022. For example, there are now detailed provisions relating to ‘ordinary’ applications (of a half day or less) and ‘heavy’ applications (longer hearings of a half day or more), intended to align with the practice of the Chancery Division with other courts in the Business and Property Courts. There are, however, many areas of practice that remain different and so different guidance is appropriate.
The court’s note announcing the new Guide makes it clear that court users should not assume that previous guidance remains the same in all areas and encourages them to read the relevant sections if they are using the courts.
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