THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVOCATES WORKING WITHIN TIME ESTIMATES: COURT OF APPEAL POLICE THEIR PROCEDURE
In Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police v Woodcock [2025] EWCA Civ 13 the Court of Appeal considered many significant issues relating to the civil liability of the police force. However this blog, being this blog, will defer consideration of those issues for a while and look at the thorny issue of time estimates.
“We therefore emphasise that time estimates are important. If they are thought to be insufficient, that difficulty must be addressed at as early a stage as possible. But once the time estimate has been fixed, and any timetable for submissions has been set or confirmed by the court, all advocates must regulate their submissions so that they are completed in time.”
THE CASE
The Court was considering issues relating to the civil liability of the police force for a failure to prevent criminal attacks. In broad terms it found in favour of the defendants.
THE OBSERVATIONS AS TO TIME ESTIMATES
“A final observation: time estimates
- Without wanting to criticise individual counsel, we wish to draw attention to a problem which this court sometimes encounters. Although this appeal hearing was given a very generous time estimate, towards the end of the allotted three days the court was being presented with submissions which were delivered at speed and included what were, in effect, reading lists of case law and other material which counsel would not have time to cover, but which the court was asked to read. Submissions of that kind are unhelpful. We therefore emphasise that time estimates are important. If they are thought to be insufficient, that difficulty must be addressed at as early a stage as possible. But once the time estimate has been fixed, and any timetable for submissions has been set or confirmed by the court, all advocates must regulate their submissions so that they are completed in time.”