ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the purpose of the Civil Justice Council is that of ensuring that this country retains a fair and effective justice system. The Civil Procedure Rules (CPR), when introduced in 1999, wrought the most fundamental changes in civil process for over 100 years, and have radically altered the operation of civil justice. Problems in the administration of the courts have, in Judge Collin's experience, been further exacerbated by cuts in the availability of legal aid. He stated that: There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that this has led to an increase in the number of people representing themselves without the help of a qualified lawyer. Dame Hazel argued that the civil justice reforms were not primarily about greater access to law or greater justice for society but arose rather as a way to divert litigants from the courts and instead direct them to mediation.
