New Nuffield Foundation Report Revisits Four Decades of Civil Justice Reform in England and Wales
A new report published by the Nuffield Foundation provides a retrospective evaluation of civil justice reform in England and Wales over the past four decades. The study, authored by Dr. John Sorabji, revisits key reform programmes including the Civil Justice Review 1988, the Woolf Reforms, the Jackson Costs Review and the Briggs Review.
Rather than treating these initiatives in isolation, the report traces broader continuities in reform efforts and considers why longstanding systemic concerns persist despite repeated intervention. It identifies recurring structural challenges, notably the continued impact of cost barriers, procedural delay, complexity and unmet legal need.
The report suggests that reform discourse has often been constrained by a narrow institutional focus on courts, with insufficient attention given to the wider ecosystem of dispute resolution. In response, it advances a more integrated understanding of access to justice, incorporating preventative mechanisms and consensual processes alongside traditional adjudication.
Finally, Dr. Sorabji calls for more durable institutional structures capable of sustaining long-term, evidence-led reform rather than ad hoc policy responses.
Given the historical influence of English Procedural Law on the Cypriot legal system, the report raises important questions that are equally relevant to ongoing discussions on civil justice reform, procedural efficiency, and access to justice in Cyprus. As Cyprus continues to modernise its civil justice framework, the report offers valuable insights into both the opportunities and limitations of procedural reform.
