Further to the High Court Notice on Civil proceedings during Level 5 restrictions published on 20th October 2020, the following arrangements apply.
CHANCERY 1 AND CHANCERY 2 MONDAY MOTION LISTS
CHANCERY 1 (“C5”) MONDAY MOTION LIST
With effect from Monday 2nd November 2020 and until further notice, all Motions in the Chancery 1 Motion List in which all parties are legally represented will be heard remotely.
The virtual courtroom numbers and relevant instructions for the Motion list will be made available each Friday to members through the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar of Ireland websites [details below] for access to the remote court by legal practitioners only.
Motions which cannot proceed remotely will stand adjourned generally with liberty to re-enter.
Parties are required to email the Registrar (aislingo’neill@courts.ie AND josephmcguane@courts.ie) in relation to all intended Ex Parte applications intended to be made each Monday together with a soft copy of the papers for the Judge by 10.00 a.m on the morning of the application. A hard copy book of papers should be lodged with the registrar by 10.30 a.m. Parties will be advised thereafter as to when the Court will be in a position to deal with them.
Practitioners are requested to advise the Court of any Motion the hearing of which is likely to exceed 15 minutes and may make an application to transfer to a Thursday list to fix dates.
Please note that all applications for adjournments including adjournments on consent must be made to the Judge on the Monday on which the case is listed
LODGEMENT OF PAPERS FOR THE MOTION LIST: A paginated and indexed booklet of motion papers, booklet of pleadings and booklet of court orders (together with a booklet of correspondence where necessary) is to be lodged by 12.00 noon on the Thursday preceding the Monday List. Lodgment of such booklets may be conducted via Post or DX or via hand delivery in an envelope clearly marked “Chancery 1 List” and placed in a box, which is situated in a room adjoining the Principal Registrar’s Office on the First Floor of the Four Courts Building (overhead the Central Office). There will be no provision for late lodgement of papers.
CHANCERY 2 (“C6”) MONDAY MOTION LIST
With effect from Monday 2nd November 2020 and until further notice, all Motions etc. (save for Petitions to wind up a Company) in the Chancery 2 Monday Lists will be heard remotely where they are capable of being heard remotely.
A Motion etc which is not capable of being heard remotely will stand adjourned to Monday 18th January 2021.
Winding up Petitions will continue to be heard as heretofore so actual attendance in Court will be required.
The Virtual Court Room Number and relevant instructions will be made available each Friday to members through the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar of Ireland websites [details below].
Solicitors are requested to forward connection details to any Respondents / Notice Parties to matters in the List.
With regard to in camera matters (i.e. s.117, Succession Act) listed for “Not before 2p.m.”, a separate Virtual Court Room Number will be made available for each such matter and will be sent to the Solicitors for the Plaintiff, who should forward the connection details to the Solicitors for the Defendant.
LODGEMENT OF PAPERS FOR THE MOTION LIST: Where it is intended that a matter will proceed, a bound booklet of papers is to be lodged by 12.00 noon on the Thursday preceding the Monday for which the matter is listed. Lodgement of such booklets may be conducted via Post or DX or via hand delivery in an envelope clearly marked “Chancery 2 List” and placed in a box, which is situated in a room adjoining the Principal Registrar’s Office on the First Floor of the Four Courts Building (overhead the Central Office). There will be no provision for late lodgment of papers.
CHANCERY LIST – TUESDAY – FRIDAY
The Chancery List will be conducted remotely each day from Tuesday to Friday.
The virtual courtroom numbers and relevant instructions for the Chancery List will be available each week to members through the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar of Ireland websites [details below] for access to the remote court by legal practitioners only.
Cases that cannot proceed remotely will stand adjourned for mention to Thursday 10th December 2020 or the first available date thereafter.
There is liberty to apply by email to the registrar (marykelly@courts.ie) in respect of any urgent applications.
CHANCERY CALLOVER AND LIST TO FIX DATES EACH THURSDAY
The Chancery List will be conducted remotely each Thursday until further notice.
The list will commence at 10.30 a.m. with a callover of the cases that are listed for hearing on Tuesday - Friday of the following week in order to identify those cases that can proceed on a remote platform.
CHANCERY CASES FOR HEARING TUESDAY - FRIDAY
In respect of proceedings in which all parties are legally represented, every effort will be made to put cases for hearing onto a remote platform, subject to available resources. Where cases proceed for hearing remotely, the solicitors for the parties will be notified by e-mail of the virtual courtroom numbers and instructions for that case.
All non-urgent witness actions will not proceed until further notice.
Parties have liberty to apply by email to the registrar (marykelly@courts.ie) should any urgent cases or urgent witness actions need to be determined.
APPLICATIONS FOR INJUNCTIONS
Ex parte applications for short service and injunctions (Tuesday – Friday) should be notified to the registrar by 10.00 a.m. by e-mail attaching a soft copy of the papers (marykelly@courts.ie). A hard copy book of papers should be lodged with the registrar by 10.30 a.m. This deadline will be strictly enforced. The applicant will then be notified of the time at which they should attend court to move the ex parte application.
LODGMENT OF PAPERS FOR HEARINGS
Hard copy books of papers for cases for hearing (Tuesday – Friday) must be lodged by 12 noon on the Thursday preceding the hearing date at the office of the registrar (Mary Kelly) on the First Floor of the Four Courts (immediately above the Central Office). Papers may be lodged by post, DX or hand delivery.
In early course a List Room will be available for the lodgement of hard copy papers for the Chancery Lists and a further notice will be published in due course in that regard.
ACCESS DETAILS FOR CHANCERY LIST
The virtual courtroom numbers and relevant instructions will be available each week to members through the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar of Ireland website for access to the remote court by legal practitioners only:
LAW SOCIETY OF IRELAND - REMOTE HEARING LINK - https://www.lawsociety.ie/remotehearings
BAR OF IRELAND MEMBERS AREA -REMOTE HEARING LINK – https://members.lawlibrary.ie/connect/