General practice during coronavirus
Courts and tribunals coronavirus planning and practice:
Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice and guidance and Courts and Tribunals COVID-19 publications
HMCTS daily operational summary on courts and tribunals during coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
Coronavirus (COVID-19): courts and tribunals planning and preparation (list of open, staffed and suspended courts during the coronavirus outbreak)
Courts and tribunals tracker list during coronavirus outbreak
Message for Circuit and District Judges sitting in Civil and Family from the Lord Chief Justice, Master of the Rolls and President of the Family Division, 9 April 2020 (note in particular guidance as to when remote hearings are and are not likely to be appropriate)
Guidance on how to join telephone and video hearings during coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, 8 April 2020 (with updates)
HMCTS telephone and video hearings during coronavirus outbreak, 18 March 2020 (with updates)
Guidance on Applications to adjourn civil and family hearings because of coronavirus (COVID-19) (in certain situations fees may be set aside (waived) for applications to adjourn civil and family hearings), 20 March 2020
Lord Chief Justice:
Review of court arrangements due to Covid-19, message from the Lord Chief Justice, 23 March 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Message from the Lord Chief Justice to judges in the Civi and Family Courts, 19 March 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Jury trials, message from the Lord Chief Justice, 17 March 2020
Legal Aid Agency:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): working with clients guidance (includes amendments to evidence requirements in domestic violence cases and guidance on crime telephone advice, using digital signatures, assessing financial eligibility/collecting evidence, contributions when client’s financial situation changes), 14 April 2020
MoJ/LAA Press release, ‘Support package for legal providers will ensure access to justice during coronavirus outbreak,’ 3 April 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Legal Aid Agency contingency response
Financial relief to legal aid practitioners
Government Legal Department (GLD)
Contact the Government Legal Department electronically (the service of new legal proceedings should be via email)
Advice and statements from professional bodies (for specific areas of law, see that page):
Northern Circuit (coronavirus hub)
Parlimentary scrutiny, monitoring and human rights guidance
Secondary legislation scrutiny committee, Scrutiny of secondary legislation laid to tackle coronavirus pandemic
Home Affairs Committee: Home Office preparedness for Covid-19 (Coronavirus)
Human Rights (Joint Committee): Covid-19 response scrutinised to ensure human rights are upheld
Public Law Project: Coronavirus: Court & tribunal user experience survey
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR): COVID-19 and its human rights dimensions
Commentary
Civil Litigation Brief (blog): Coronavirus tag
Organizations providing free legal support and advice (see also pages on specific areas of law, these are general)
- AdviceLocal
- AdviceUK (find an AdviceUK member includes CAB, law centres)
- Advocate (volunteer barristers)
- Citizens Advice Bureaux – different CAB offer different services but may be able to help with issues such as benefits, consumer rights, debt
- Law Centres (search by map or A-Z list)
- LawWorks (find a legal advice clinic)
- Age UK
- Independent Age
- Child Law Advice
- Coram Children’s Legal Centre
- Just for Kids law
- Youth Justice Legal Centre
- Centre for Women’s Justice (includes links to domestic violence, revenge porn, sexual assault and stalking helplines and services)
- Rights of Women (advice lines for criminal, family, immigration and asylum, sexual harassment)
- Liberty (human rights)
- MIND (mental health)
