Access to public domain documents pilot

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee has approved in principle a 2-year pilot on “access to public domain documents” in the Commercial Court, London Circuit Court and the Financial List effective from 1 October 2025. The pilot was recommended by the sub-Committee which is reviewing the Committee’s implementation of access to court documents. You can read the background to this issue at: The EWI’s view on the Civil Procedure Rule Committee Court Documents Consultation and Update on Civil Procedure Rule Committee Access to Court Documents Proposals.

The pilot will be implemented by a new pilot PD under CPR Part 51: Transitional Arrangements and Pilot Schemes.

The aims and purpose of the pilot are to advance the principle of open justice in the civil courts by testing a relatively simple protocol which works within the Court’s existing systems. The pilot is designed to maximise accessibility for the public without adding to the burden on court staff. The Committee noted that it represents both a tempered approach and a more gradual introduction of changes than its earlier proposals.

The Committee expects to publish the guidance and pilot PD in July as part of the October 2025 common-commencement date. The sub-committee will consider and propose plans to monitor and evaluate the operation of the pilot PD in practice.

We will look forward to further details on the pilot being published in July and are hopeful that the Committee has taken into account the concerns we raised in our response to the consultation on its earlier proposals.