Local solicitor accuses Law Society of doing something useful!

Date published: 06/10/2006

Local solicitor John Kay, of Molesworths Bright Clegg and a Director of Rochdale Online says: "the Law Society actually did something sensible last week when it obtained a last-minute, emergency injunction against the Court Service".

New court rules came into force on Monday 2 October permitting public access to statements of cases. The Law Society says that its members were told only the previous week that these rules might be used retrospectively and as a result previously confidential details of old cases could become public. So at 4pm on Friday 29 September - about one business hour before the legislation came into force - the Law Society obtained an injunction precluding the Court Service from making such information available.

A spokesman for the Society said that the Court Service hadn't notified it that the legislation could be used retrospectively, and as such it had no alternative but to seek the injunction. He added that whilst the press was complaining that the Society was just trying to protect celebrities, the new rules had serious implications in cases such as blackmail.

And the High Court has admitted that the Society had a point. It agreed to look into whether the new rules should be amended, and held that in the meantime the old rules will continue to apply to statements filed before 2 October.