Her Honour Judge Stephanie Cope
Lead Judge for Financial Remedy Work for Bristol
Financial Remedy Court
As you know the FR pilot on the Western circuit launched on 1 October 2020. Within this the Bristol Zone covers all financial remedy work for Bristol, Bath, Gloucester, Salisbury, Swindon and Weston super Mare.
There is now a list of accredited financial remedy judges and a new allocation process in place. In addition to the application the court requires a completed allocation questionnaire and, if further information would assist, a letter (no more than one side of A4) to assist appropriate allocation by one of the District Judges at the court where the hearings are likely to take place. Any letter must be no longer than one side of A4 to allow the system to be manageable. Everyone is feeling the pressure of remote working, including court staff and judges. I do not want to overburden the court staff and my colleagues at an already difficult and stressful time. To this end an application submitted without an allocation questionnaire or breaching the ‘one side of A4 rule’ will be returned.
The additional information in the covering letter should simply be a short summary of the case, if indeed this is needed. It should contain sufficient additional information that is not covered by the allocation questionnaire to allow an informed decision on the appropriate judicial allocation and any need for continuity up until the final hearing.
The system is in place for all applications within the Bristol Zone received after 1 October 2020. The applications (and additional documentation) should continue to be sent to the RDC at least for the time being (in due course they will be sent to Bristol for all courts within the Bristol Zone and you will be kept up to date about this). Please share this letter with as many of your colleagues as possible as it appears that not everyone is aware of the FR pilot launch.
The Bristol Financial Remedy Hub has a dedicated email address monitored by staff trained in financial remedy work – allowing court users to communicate directly with the court (BristolFRC.bristol.countycourt@justice.gov.uk).
Finally, despite the disruption and difficulties presented by Covid-19, financial remedy work remains well suited to take place remotely. This potentially includes some final hearings. Everyone is to be commended for embracing the technology and I hope we will all continue to develop our skills to ensure as many hearings as possible are effective.
Thank you for your ongoing cooperation.
Best wishes
Her Honour Judge Stephanie Cope
17 November 2020