The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has launched a consultation on proposed amendments to CPR 27 and CPR PD 27A following a polit scheme (PD 51ZC) testing the determination of small claims on paper without a hearing. The proposed amendments would allow a judge to direct that a small claim be determined without a hearing, where considered appropriate, without requiring the consent of all parties. The amendments also introduce a structured process for paper determination, including notice of a decision date, timetables for filing documents and the ability for parties to raise objections, which the judge must consider. The consultation was initially scheduled to close on 22 June 2026 but will now close on 31 July 2026.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) held its annual open meeting in central Birmingham , marking the first meeting outside London in the committee's 29–year history and the first in-person open meeting since the Covid–19 pandemic. Chaired by Lady Justice Cockerill, Deputy Head of Civil Justice, the meeting was open to the public, stakeholders, students and lawyers. A subsequent engagement session for students and junior lawyers drew more than 30 delegates, covering topics including access to justice and the role of artificial intelligence in the civil justice system.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has launched a consultation on proposed amendments to Civil Procedure Rules provisions concerning the Welsh language. The proposals include reforms to the Devolution Practice Direction and Welsh Language Practice Direction, covering listing provisions and procedures for Welsh language text interpretation issues. The consultation closes on 9 January 2026.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has launched a consultation on access to court documents by non-parties. The consultation seeks views on proposed draft amendments to Civil Procedure Rule (CPR) 5.4C regarding the supply of documents to a non-party from court records. The consultation closes on 8 April 2024.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has launched a consultation on proposed amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR), focusing on modernising service of documents. The consultation proposes two key changes to CPR 6 and CPR PD 6A: first, requiring legal representatives who have confirmed their authority to accept service on behalf of a client to accept service by electronic means without needing further consent; and second, removing fax as a primary method of electronic service, reflecting the widespread use of email. The consultation closes on 12 September 2025.

The Criminal Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has made some changes to the Criminal Procedure Rules 2020, SI 2020/759. The changes to the Criminal Procedure Rules made by the Criminal Procedure (Amendment No 2) Rules 2024, SI 2024/842 come into force on 7 October 2024.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee's (CPRC) annual open meeting minutes from 9 May 2025 reveal that fixed recoverable costs (FRC) reforms for lower damages clinical negligence claims remain on hold, pending government's further direction. The Costs Sub-Committee Chair, Mr Justice Trower confirmed the government is currently considering the way forward on clinical negligence FRC and an announcement on the government's position is anticipated in due course. A broader FRC review planned for 2026 will examine vulnerability provisions, while a separate stocktake of the existing FRC regime is scheduled for October 2025.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has published its minutes following their meeting of 6 June 2025, which was conducted in a hybrid format, at The Rolls Building (Royal Courts of Justice) and via video conference. Amongst other things, it was confirmed that a pilot scheme is going to be introduced under CPR 51 for non-parties to access court documents, following the Supreme Court judgment in Cape Intermediate Holdings Ltd v Dring [2019] UKSC 38. The CPRC also approved amendments to the e-working pilot, which will transition to a permanent electronic filing system, continuing efforts to modernise court processes. Proposed updates to CPR Part 75 were discussed to improve traffic enforcement procedures. Amendments to CPR 62.10 and CPR PD62 were also approved in consequence of the Arbitration Act 2025 (Act), these changes are intended to come into force at the same time as, or shortly after, the Act comes into force.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has initiated a consultation on proposed amendments to CPR 52.12(3) concerning appellant's notices. The key changes include explicitly requiring a sealed copy of the appellant's notice to be served and extending the time limit for service from 7 to 14 days after filing. The CPRC invites comments on both the principle and wording of the proposed changes until 21 February 2025, after which the matter will be considered for implementation.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has provided an update on its consultation on access to court documents by non-parties at its annual open meeting, held on 10 May 2024. The consultation was initially launched on 19 February 2024 and sought views on proposed draft amendments to Civil Procedure Rule (CPR) 5.4C regarding the supply of documents to a non-party from court records. The consultation closed on 8 April 2024. A member of the LexisNexis Dispute Resolution team attended the open meeting, where the CPRC said that they had received 42 high quality responses from various sources including lawyers, journalists, mediators and experts. The CPRC confirmed that they are undertaking a detailed consideration of the responses, but their aim was still to bring the proposed changes into force as part of the October 2024 Civil Procedure Rules updates.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has published its annual report for 2024–25, detailing its rule-making activities during the period. The report notes that the Committee enacted two statutory instruments and 17 Practice Direction updates, introducing significant procedural reforms. Among these is the Access to Public Domain documents pilot, which began on 1 January 2026 and will continue until 31 December 2027. Key developments include a new pilot scheme for the automatic referral of civil cases to free one-hour mediation sessions, amendments promoting alternative dispute resolution following the Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil judgment and a complete rewrite of Part 25, which covers interim remedies and security for costs. In addition, the Committee completed a simplification review of Parts 1 to 30 of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) and introduced a new Part 68, which outlines procedures for Retained EU Law.

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) has published details of its annual open meeting, which will take place on 10 May 2024 via Microsoft Teams. Guests can apply to attend the meeting as an observer, with applications to attend closing on 8 April 2024.