Coinciding with the five year anniversary of the Business and Property Court opening in Newcastle, the 20th Forum event took place at Northumbria University Law School attracting lawyers, law students and members of the judiciary.
Unparalleled legal event
13th February 2023 was a day on which Newcastle hosted a legal event unparalleled in any other part of the country. Not just one, but four of the most senior judges of the Business and Property Courts (BPC) past and present, took part in a lively “chat show” styled event chaired by His Honour Judge Kramer, the Newcastle specialist BPC Judge.
The event marked 5 years since the launch of the BPC in Newcastle. More than 160 guests gathered at Northumbria Law School, including the Chancellor of the High Court, Sir Julian Flaux, the Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, Lucy Winskell OBE and the Recorder of Newcastle, His Honour Judge Sloan K.C., for “An Evening with Vice Chancellors Past and Present”.
Questioned by Judge Kramer, the Vice Chancellor and supervising Judge for BPC work in the North, Mr Justice Fancourt, together with his predecessors Lord Justice Snowden, Sir Gerald Barling and Sir Alastair Norris spoke about their careers in the law, giving the audience a unique insight into some of their cases which had a wider significance to society and the impact the BPC has had on local dispute resolution.
Meeting students – tomorrow’s lawyers
Prior to the main event, the Judges together with Sir Julian Flaux, the Chancellor of the High Court, met with students from local universities for a question and answer session, covering topics as diverse as the use of artificial intelligence to resolve legal disputes, and the funding of the Court system. The students were enthusiastic about the opportunities the BPC offered for them to develop their careers in the North East.
Business and Property Court for the Region
The BPC in Newcastle was launched in February 2017, with the intention that individuals and businesses with high value and/ or complex disputes should not have to travel out of the region in order to access high quality dispute resolution. It provides a speedy and cost effective service to those who wish to avoid the time and cost of litigating in London.
The BPC deals with a wide range of cases, including commercial disputes, those relating to land, trusts, wills and intellectual property, corporate and personal insolvency and construction and technical disputes, such as those relating to software.
Judge Kramer is the specialist Circuit Judge in charge of the Court, and he is supported by three specialist District Judges: Michelle Temple, David Hambler and Terence Phillips. Judge Kramer regularly sits as a deputy judge of the High Court, but where a case needs a full time High Court judge, arrangements are made for one to come to Newcastle rather than the parties having to go to London.
Judge Kramer sits at the Moot Hall. He also chairs the Newcastle BPC Forum, which holds quarterly talks bringing together the lawyers, and other professionals who use the BPC, and students, to exchange ideas and hear speakers on contemporary topics of interest to the local business community.
Centre of excellence for dispute resolution
Closing the event, Sir Julian underlined the resounding success of the Court, noting that the BPC in Newcastle had established itself under Judge Kramer as a centre of excellence for dispute resolution. The original aspiration for the Court has been met and exceeded, and it is hoped that in due course a further permanent Judge will be appointed to deal with the increasing workload.
Speaking after the event, Judge Kramer said: “The evening followed a chat show format. As the host, I now realise that the success of such an event depends upon having good guests, which made it easy for me. I was encouraged by the large turnout and the chance to convey to a wider audience the work of the BPC. It is a constant source of frustration to me that the public are by and large unaware that we have a court in Newcastle dealing with High Court BPC claims on a daily basis and of the type of work undertaken.
Many members of the public do not realise that they can sit in on hearings to see for themselves how cases are dealt with and the myriad nature of the disputes with which we deal. Courts are generally open to the public and they are welcome to visit the Moot Hall and watch cases from the ample public gallery in what must be one of the most attractive and functional courts in the country.”
Trinity Chambers’ Simon Goldberg K.C., a member of the Forum who was appointed the region’s first business and property K.C. in 2022, said: “The launch of the BPC in Newcastle in 2017 was an important moment in this region’s legal history. The Court under Judge Kramer’s leadership has exceeded all expectations. Work which was previously lost to London is now being litigated locally, which can only be of benefit to Court users, the local legal community and the local economy.”
To find out more about the Forum and the work of the Newcastle BPC, visit www.newcastle-bpcf.org.uk