The Civil Procedure Rules Ten Years On

A Conference at the British Academy
1-2 December 2008

The Civil Procedure Rules 1998 , based on the findings of Lord Woolf’s Access to Justice inquiry, represented the single greatest change to the rules of civil procedure in England and Wales since the introduction of the Rules of the Supreme Court in 1883.  The CPR was to be ‘a new procedural code with the overriding objective of enabling the court to deal with cases justly’.  The CPR has since been used as a model for civil procedural reform around the world.

This conference, the only one of its kind to be held, marks the tenth anniversary of the implementation of the Woolf Reforms.  The event will provide a unique opportunity for judges, legal practitioners and academics to come together to discuss how well the CPR has achieved its goals, how it has affected civil procedure elsewhere in the world, and current and anticipated developments in English civil procedure. Keynote papers will be given by Sir Anthony Clarke, Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice, and Sir Henry Brooke, former Vice-President of the Court of Appeal (Civil Division).

The event is being organised by Oxford Law Faculty, a leading centre for civil procedure scholarship.  Sponsorship has been generously provided by Herbert Smith LLP, a leading and full-service international legal practice.  Through this sponsorship, the event is free-of-charge to delegates. The conference is registered for 12.5 CPD hours for barristers and solicitors.

For further information about the content of the conference, please contact the conference organiser, Dr Déirdre Dwyer (deirdre.dwyer@law.ox.ac.uk). 

Booking forms can be download by clicking on the Registration link.