High Court availability this Summer

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The Royal Courts of Justice and Rolls Building will be closed on Monday 28 August 2023, as it is a public holiday.

The Summer Vacation will run from Tuesday, 1 August 2023 up to 10am on Monday 2 October 2023.

In the month of August only applications of real urgency will be dealt with.

Subject to the discretion of the Judge, any appeal and any application normally made to a Judge may be made in the month of September (see Practice Direction – Court 39B of the Civil Procedure Rules).

CPR PD 2F

2.1

(1) One or more Judges of each Division of the High Court shall sit in vacation on such days as the senior judge of that Division may from time to time direct, to hear such cases, claims, matters or applications as require to be immediately or promptly heard and to hear other cases, claims, matters or applications if the senior judge of that Division determines that sittings are necessary for that purpose.

(2) Any party to a claim or matter may at any time apply to the Court for an order that such claim or matter be heard in vacation and, if the Court is satisfied that the claim or matter requires to be immediately or promptly heard, it may make an order accordingly and fix a date for the hearing.

(3) Any Judge of the High Court may hear such other cases, claims, matters or applications in vacation as the Court may direct.

2.2

The directions in paragraph 3.1 shall not apply in relation to the trial or hearing of cases, claims, matters or applications outside the Royal Courts of Justice but the senior Presiding Judge of each Circuit, with the concurrence of the Senior Presiding Judge, and the Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster and the Chancery Supervising Judge for Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, with the concurrence of the Vice-Chancellor, may make such arrangements for vacation sittings in the courts for which they are respectively responsible as they think desirable.

2.3

(1) Subject to the discretion of the Judge, any appeal and any application normally made to a Judge may be made in the month of September.

(2) In the month of August, save with the permission of a Judge or under arrangements for vacation sittings in courts outside the Royal Courts of Justice, appeals to a Judge will be limited to the matters set out in paragraph 3.5 below, and only applications of real urgency will be dealt with, for example urgent applications in respect of injunctions or for possession under RSC Order 113 (Schedule 1 to the CPR).

(3) It is desirable, where this is practical, that applications or appeals are submitted to a Master, District Judge or Judge prior to the hearing of the application or appeal so that they can be marked ‘fit for August’ or ‘fit for vacation.’ If they are so marked, then normally the Judge will be prepared to hear the application or appeal in August, if marked ‘fit for August’ or in September if marked ‘fit for vacation’. A request to have the papers so marked should normally be made in writing, shortly setting out the nature of the application or appeal and the reasons why it should be dealt with in August or in September, as the case may be.

Enquiries as to which Judges are sitting must be made to the appropriate Officer of the Division.

When the Judge is not sitting, applications may be made if necessary to the Judge personally. The address of the Judge must first be obtained through the Clerk to the Vacation Judge on duty, whose telephone number may be obtained from the listing office responsible for the appropriate Division, or where the offices are closed, at the Security Office (Tel: 020 7947 6260). Applications to the Judge personally are not to be made except after reference to the Judge’s clerk or the Officer responsible for listing for the appropriate Division.

The procedure to be followed in respect of applications to each Division is set out below:

Chancery Division

A judge of the Chancery Division will be available each working day to dispose of urgent business of the division. Please note that the following list is subject to change. The e-mail address for the Chancery Division Judges Listing Office is chanceryjudgeslisting@justice.gov.uk.

From 4:15pm on Monday 31st July 2023 to 10:15am on Monday 7th August 2023 – Mr Justice Edwin Johnson

  • Assisting – Mrs Justice Bacon

From 10:15am on Monday 7th August 2023 to 10:15am on Monday 14th August 2023 – Mr Justice Mellor

  • Assisting – Mr Justice Edwin Johnson

From 10:15am on Monday 14th August 2023 to 10:15am on Monday 21st August 2023 – Mr Justice Michael Green

  • Assisting – Mr Justice Mellor

From 10:15am on Monday 21st August 2023 to 10:15am on Tuesday 29th August 2023 – Mr Justice Trower

  • Assisting – Mr Justice Michael Green

From 10:15am on Tuesday 29th August 2023 to 10:15am on Monday 4th September 2023 – Mr Justice Leech

  • Assisting: Mr Justice Trower

From 10:15am on Monday 4th September 2023 to 10:15am on Monday 11th September 2023 – Mr Justice Roth

  • Assisting – Mr Justice Jonathan Richards

From 10:15am on Monday 11th September 2023 to 10:15am on Monday 18th September 2023 – Mr Justice Meade

  • Assisting – Mr Justice Adam Johnson

From 10:15am on Monday 18th September 2023 to 10:15am on Monday 25th September 2023 – Mr Justice Miles

  • Assisting – Mr Justice Meade

From 10:15am on Monday 25th September 2023 to 10:15am on Monday 2nd October 2023 – Mrs Justice Bacon

  • Assisting: Mrs Justice Johana Smith

Companies Court

Applications will in the first instance be heard in the Interim Applications List on Mondays and Thursdays. The following is deemed to be vacation business:

Applications to restrain presentation of winding up petitions, applications to restrain
advertisement of winding up petitions, applications under section 127 of the Insolvency Act 1986, applications to rescind winding up orders and administration petitions.

Urgent applications should be arranged by and Advocate’s Clerk directly with the Vacation Judge’s Clerk.

Each application must be accompanied by an Advocate’s certificate as to the urgency or a note of special leave granted by one of the Vacation Judges and as to the length of the hearing.

Urgent applications concerning Schemes of Arrangements and Schemes of Arrangement involving reductions of capital, pursuant to paragraph 8 of the Practice Direction 49B CPR will be listed before the Judge on Mondays and Thursdays during the vacation period.

King’s Bench Division

During the summer vacation, the Interim Applications Judge will deal with cases that are considered urgent under CPR Part 39.

Filing of Applications

  • Any solicitor wishing to make an emergency application before the QB Interim Applications Judge must ce-file their documents, whereupon they will be alerted to the Judges’ clerk once accepted by a member of the Listing Office. The Judges’ clerk must inform the Listing office whether the Judge will hear this case. If so, then the time for the hearing must be given to the Listing Office, who will make arrangements for an associate to cover the hearing if in court or by Teams.
  • A litigant in person may use ce-filing, but it is optional. They must file their application notice, fee or fee exemption and any supporting documents either by e-mail, or in the drop box in the main hall. There may be occasions when a litigant arrives at the RCJ seeking to appear before a Judge as a matter of urgency. If that occurs, then the Judges’ clerk will be informed, and papers will be sent to them. The Listing Office can arrange for documents to be scanned.

Hearings

The interim Applications Judge has been assigned court 17 for hearings, but arrangements can be made for hearings to be listed by MS Teams when appropriate. The Associates office will run any Teams hearings and send out invitations.

Contact details

King’s Bench Judges Listing office: kbjudgeslistingoffice@justice.gov.uk
King’s Bench Associates: kbassociatescourtassociatesinbox@justice.gov.uk

The King’s Bench High Court Judges sitting during the Summer Vacation are as follows. Please note that this list is subject to change:

From 10am on Tuesday 1st August 2023 to 10am on Monday 7th August 2023: Mr Justice Cotter

From 10am on Monday 7th August 2023 to 10am on Monday 14th August 2023: Mr Justice Lane

From 10am on Monday 14th August 2023 to 10am on Monday 21st August 2023: Mr Justice Sweeting

From 10am on Monday 21st August 2023 to 10am on Monday 28th August 2023: Mr Justice Bright

From 10am on Monday 28th August 2023 to 10am on Monday 4th September 2023: Mrs Justice Robin Knowles

From 10am on Monday 4th September 2023 to 10am on Monday 11th September 2023: Mr Justice Soole

  • Assisting: Mr Justice Ritchie

From 10am on Monday 11th September 2023 to 10am on Monday 18th September 2023: Mr Justice Linden

  • Assisting: Mrs Justice Hill

From 10am on Monday 18th September 2023 to 10am on Monday 25th September 2023: Mrs Justice Hill

  • Assisting: Mr Justice Lavender

From 10am on Monday 25th September 2023 to 10am on Monday 2nd October 2023: Mr Justice Choudhury

  • Assisting: Mrs Justice Stacey

Commercial Court

Commercial Court Judges will sit throughout the Vacation period to dispose of urgent work. Applications must be made to the Commercial Court Listing Officer (comct.listing@Justice.gov.uk).

Administrative Court

Nominated Judges will sit throughout the Vacation Period to deal with matters in the Administrative Court List. All applications during office hours must be made to the Listing Officer (administrativecourtoffice.listoffice@hmcts.x.gsi.gov.uk). Out of normal hours the telephone number of the Duty Judge can be obtained from the Security Office (020 7947 6260).

Family Division

A Judge of the Division will be able to hear urgent summonses and other urgent applications every working day. Solicitors may consult the Clerk of the Rules, Royal Courts of Justice (rcj.familyhighcourt@justice.gov.uk) about the state of the Vacation List and should arrange with the Family Proceedings Department for the Court file to be produced. No case, which is estimated to last more than one day, will be entered in the vacation list unless the leave of a Judge of the Family Division has been first obtained.

Application for leave may be made to the Family Division Applications Judge.

The Principal Registry of the Family Division at First Avenue House will be open from 10am to 4:30pm every working day. District Judges will sit to hear all classes of business, which will be fixed, subject to the availability of time, in the same manner as in term time.

Matrimonial Cases Pending in Divorce County Courts

Circuit Judges will be available throughout the vacation period to hear urgent applications by notice issued in causes proceedings in the Family Proceedings Department and treated as pending in a Divorce County Court and other urgent applications in such causes. Solicitors may consult the Principal Registry of the Family Division, First Avenue House (londonpersonalapplicationsenquiries@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk) about the state of the Vacation List and should arrange with the Family Proceedings Department for the file to be produced. Circuit Judges and District Judges will pronounce decrees under the Special Procedure (Family Proceedings Rule 2.36) throughout the Vacation and will commence to hear matrimonial causes pending in Divorce Courts throughout the vacation period.

Technology & Construction Court Business

During Vacation, a Judge of the Technology and Construction Court will sit throughout the vacation period to deal with summonses by appointment and in the case of urgent matters at other times by arrangement with the Judge’s Clerk. For further information the Registry Office can be e-mailed at tcc.listing@Justice.gov.uk

Senior Courts Costs Office

Normal business applies.