Lord Neuberger takes over as president of Supreme Court
Court wins power to make pro bono costs orders
Lord Neuberger is sworn in as the new president of the Supreme Court this morning, following the retirement of Lord Phillips on Friday. Lord Neuberger was previously Master of the Rolls.
The appointment of the Supreme Court’s second president comes on its third birthday. At today’s ceremony, conducted by deputy president Lord Hope, Lord Neuberger will shake hands with each Supreme Court justice and bow to them, and they will bow to him.
The justices will then gather in the entrance hall of the court building before processing over the road to Westminster Abbey for the annual service to mark the beginning of the legal year.
“It is a great honour to have been asked to lead the UK Supreme Court, which is rightly respected throughout the world for the quality of its decision making,” Lord Neuberger said.
“It has also been forging a reputation for accessibility and transparency, welcoming many visitors and providing public information about the work of the justices and summaries of cases being heard.”
In a separate development, Section 61 of the LASPO Act comes into force today. This enables the Supreme Court to make an order for costs, in cases from England and Wales, in favour of a specific charity which funds pro bono work.
“Up until now, the court has been unable to make such an order – meaning that, when the successful party technically has no costs, the unsuccessful party has avoided making any contribution,” a spokesman for the Supreme Court said.
“The new system will allow the Supreme Court to direct that the money that would usually have been recovered from the unsuccessful party to cover the other party’s costs should instead be donated to the prescribed charity, the Access to Justice Foundation.”
The Foundation channels support to those who cannot afford it through a network of legal support trusts. The move brings the Supreme Court into line with other civil courts, which can make pro bono costs orders under Section 194 of the Legal Services Act.
Extension of the power to the Supreme Court was secured by an amendment to the legal aid bill proposed by Lord Pannick.
The new arrangements will apply to appeals against court orders made after 1 October 2012, and will not affect cases being heard at the Supreme Court or pending.