‘As many of you know I was Presiding Judge on the Western Circuit between 2011 and 2014 and so spent a good deal of time in this great city, including sitting on cases in this building. For that reason, it is a pleasure to be here this morning to launch the B & P courts in Bristol. Our laws and legal system have recently and very properly been described as ‘a vital national asset’. Our courts are central to that system. They contribute to our global influence and our national wealth. They secure that surest public good: the rule of law.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 12th January 2018

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

‘First, as we leave the European Union, it is incredibly important that judges and lawyers alike can demonstrate that English law and the courts of England & Wales will continue to offer world class dispute resolution services. We cannot achieve this if we continue to use unintelligible and incomprehensible names and titles. As I said in London at the first of the 5 launches that have already taken place, we need to reach out to the users of these courts and to national and international business generally, so as to ensure that they understand what we are offering in terms of business and commercial litigation here in England and Wales. We need to make sure that these business users can easily understand the services we offer.’

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 12th January 2018

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk