The recent appointments to the Court of Appeal have assisted in reducing waiting list for the resolution of appeals, writes Liam Kennedy (chair, Litigation Committee) (pictured).

Appeals currently entering into the list may be assigned hearing dates as early as April 2020.

The additional resources available to the Court of Appeal will mean that two courts can sit simultaneously.

This should greatly expedite the processing of appeals in the future, and should significantly improve the speed with which litigation is resolved.

Hearing date

Solicitors should note that if they have already been assigned a hearing date in, say, 2021, prior to the new judges coming on stream, it is open to the parties to go back to the Court of Appeal (the Friday list) to apply for a new, earlier date.

The court would welcome any such applications from litigants wishing to have their appeals resolved at an early stage.