London Circuit Commercial Court – Practice Note on arbitration claims
1. The Circuit Commercial Courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the Commercial Court and the Technology & Construction Court in respect of all arbitration claims – see CPR r.62.3(3) and PD 62 – Arbitration, Paragraph 2.3. The number of Arbitration Claims either issued in or transferred to the London Circuit Commercial Courts has been increasing and the arrangements set out below are being introduced for the purpose of ensuring that they are dealt with as speedily as can be accommodated.
2. Subject to Paragraph 3 below, with effect from 1 July 2025, there will be a specialist list within the London Circuit Commercial Court (“LCCC”) for arbitration claims issued in or transferred to the LCCC, in which all the LCCC’s arbitration claims that require substantive hearings will be listed. It will be identified as the “Arbitration Claims List”. Arbitration Claims List hearings will generally be listed in the following windows each year:
a. Trinity Term: 14-18 July 2025 and in the third full week in July each Trinity Term thereafter;
b. Michaelmas Term: 6-10 October 2025 and in the first full week in October each Michaelmas Term thereafter;
c. Hilary Term: 19-23 January 2026 and in second full week in January each Hilary Term thereafter; and
d. Easter Term: 20-24 April 2026 and in the first full week in each Easter Term thereafter.
3. All urgent without notice applications will continue to be listed on the first date that a judge can be made available to hear the application. All applications made on notice will be listed in the 0930 LCCC List, if the time estimate for the application is 1 hour or less; in the Friday Applications List, if the time estimate is up to one day; or in the Arbitration Claims List if the time estimate is longer than one day.
4. The default position will be that that cases listed in the Arbitration Claims List will be heard by a full time Circuit Commercial Judge unless released by the Judge in Charge of the London Circuit Commercial Court to be heard by a Deputy High Court Judge authorised to sit in the Court. When requesting the listing of an arbitration claim in the Arbitration Claims List the parties must inform the listing officials into which of the following categories the claim falls:
a. Category A – claims that should be listed if possible before a full time Circuit Commercial Judge;
b. Category B – claims that can be listed before either a full time Circuit Commercial Judge or a Deputy High Court Judge; or
c. Category C – claims that are suitable for listing before a Deputy High Court Judge.
Following listing of the Claim for hearing, the Judge in Charge of the London Circuit Commercial Court will decide whether any particular claim is to be listed before a full time Circuit Commercial Judge or a Deputy High Court Judge.
5. Where Judgment is reserved, the Court will endeavour to deliver it orally or to hand it down within 42 days of the end of the hearing unless heard in July, when delivery or hand down will be on the first available date in September and in any event no later than the end of the first week in October.
6. This practice note has been issued with the concurrence of the Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court.
His Honour Judge Mark Pelling KC
Judge in Charge of the London Circuit Commercial Court