New Business and Property Division goes live today

Back in June, the Lady Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor announced that a new Business and Property Division would be created, aimed at modernising the structure of the High Court. That new Division comes into being with the start of the new legal year today, 1 October. 

The new Division comprises all of the courts that sit in the Rolls Building and have for some time operated under the umbrella of the Business and Property Courts but have formed part of different divisions for administrative purposes. It is led by a new President of the Business and Property Division, a role initially filled by the previous Chancellor, Sir Colin Birss, but that will only be for a month, as he is to become the new Master of the Rolls following the retirement of Sir Geoffrey Vos at the end of October. His replacement as President is yet to be announced.

The establishment of the new Division is unlikely to bring dramatic changes for court users in the short term, as the individual courts and lists that make up the new Division are to continue their work as they do now, keeping their existing jurisdictions, identities and areas of expertise. In a recent speech, however, Sir Colin said he could see a case for a "radical streamlining" of the court guides that apply in the Division, so that is something that may come in due course.