I do not generally deal in instant news in these pages – considered reflection is more my style and, besides, there is normally a queue of things to write about.

At the top of that queue at the moment is a draft article which picks up on things other people have written about the delay to the introduction of the proposed E-Disclosure Practice Direction and Questionnaire. One of those articles is by Professor Dominic Regan, but that can make way for a brief report which he sent me overnight. It reads as follows:

I attended the Civil Justice Section of Law Society dinner last night. Two nuggets emerged:

1. Sir Rupert Jackson announced the formation of a Judges Council of four members including him and Kay LJ which will meet on 4 March to oversee and push change from the top.

2. Sir Rupert took five questions. One was mine. How did he feel about the Rule Committee not passing the e-Discovery material? He said that the will of the committee had to be respected. He was not to impose his will. He gave the clear impression he was not troubled; it will happen.

Sir Rupert is a courteous and patient man and he faces bigger battles than this one. Whether one respects the will of the Rule Committee, as he does, or merely accepts it, as I do, as the equivalent of a traffic jam or train delay, the important thing is to get there in the end. I started working on this in 1993, so I guess I can wait a little longer.

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