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Strategic Engagement Group Meeting Chair’s Summary - December 2025

Published 19 December 2025

1. Introduction

A summary of the Strategic Engagement Group (StratEG) meeting held online on 2 December 2025.

Members of the Bar Council, Law Society and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) met representatives of HMCTS and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for the latest quarterly meeting.

The meeting included verbal updates covering:

• Operational and strategic overviews
• The future of the Strategic Engagement Group

Presentations covered:

• PRE: roll out of new pre-recorded technology
• Private Law Service and Early Adopter expansion plans
• Artificial Intelligence
• RCJ and Upper Tribunals case management system update

Papers circulated in advance covered:

• Jurisdictional updates
• Future proposal for the group

2. Operational and strategic overview

The Online Procedure Rules Committee plans to publish the first online procedure rules for consultation on 4 December 2025, initially applying to possession proceedings. The Deputy Prime Minister is considering HMCTS funding proposals, with allocations expected from January 2026.

The Government published its response to Sir Brian Leveson’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts and HMCTS has established a Criminal Courts Reform Implementation Programme Board to prepare for legislative changes.

Following Royal Assent of the Renters Rights Act in October 2025, implementation begins in May 2026. Section 21 will no longer be available to private landlords and HMCTS is preparing court capacity, forms, staffing and additional sitting days, with funding secured to prevent backlogs.

The Asylum and Immigration Bill is progressing through Parliament with HMCTS preparing for implementation by examining staff capacity, redesigning processes and planning case management system changes to reduce appeal processing times from 43 to 24 weeks.

3. PRE: roll out of new pre-recorded technology

HMCTS implemented a new pre-recorded evidence platform with improved user-friendliness and court-level operational knowledge. Development included testing at Leeds Youth Court before a national rollout in June, which was temporarily paused.

Training was delivered through webinars and court sessions, and the team continues to address the challenges presented by infrequent and retaining skills. A support model provides first-line chat assistance with VIP escalation, reducing wait times from over 60 minutes to approximately five minutes.

User confidence was affected when the provider unexpectedly closed the original platform and newly implemented quality control measures now address issues like poor camera positioning and background noise.

New features include simpler booking, automated editing, pause functionality and support for thirty-nine approved recording sites. Work continues to unify the system and replace the previous platform, aiming for a single consolidated system that better serves witness special measures.

 4. Private Law Service and Early Adopter expansion plans

HMCTS’s private law digital service is operating in four early adopter courts, processing over 2,000 Children Act applications. The service enables digital application submission, judicial directions viewing, in-proceeding applications, hearing notifications, evidence uploading and digital bundle access.

Recent improvements include full barrister access and resolved solicitor application sign-off issues and automatic naming now uses “applicant” and “respondent” rather than children’s names.

Future plans include access for children’s solicitors in early 2026 and local authority report filing. The Family Procedure Rules Committee mandated the service in November 2025, with national rollout across all family courts planned for 2026.

 5. Artificial Intelligence

HMCTS presented a comprehensive AI adoption strategy emphasising responsible implementation across courts and tribunals. The approach is driven by business needs, identifying specific use cases including document processing, judgment anonymisation, transcription services and judicial task assistance, while explicitly avoiding judicial decision-making applications.

The responsible AI framework addresses three principal risk categories: legal and ethical considerations, privacy and security, and public trust and legitimacy. Implementation involves a network of subject matter experts and an AI steering group established in June 2025, with principles aligned to the Office for AI’s framework but tailored to courts and tribunals.

HMCTS uses enterprise versions of AI tools like Microsoft Copilot within secure environments rather than publicly available systems, developing bespoke tools through digital services and managed service providers and data governance follows existing HMCTS practices while addressing AI-specific challenges.

6. CE-File replacement project

HMCTS presented an update on the CE-File replacement project for Royal Courts of Justice and Upper Tribunals case management systems, covering all civil jurisdictions and Upper Tribunal chambers in England and Wales.

The contract with the current provider runs until May 2027 with an option to extend to May 2028.

Key objectives include delivering a modern digital case management system supporting court staff, judiciary and external users, meeting compliance standards, minimising business change and enhancing data transparency through improved public search facilities. A project board comprising operational colleagues, service teams and members of the judiciary oversees the work.

The team is preparing the outline business case following strategic business case approval, conducting requirements gathering, process mapping and evaluating build versus buy options.

User researchers onboarded in early October 2025 have been engaging the legal community to understand current challenges and requirements.

 7. Future of the Strategic Engagement Group

HMCTS proposed reducing Strategic Engagement Group meetings from four to twice annually, following consultation at the previous meeting. The proposal includes three key commitments: reducing formal meetings to twice yearly, retaining all other regular engagement between HMCTS teams and legal professions and renewing HMCTS’s commitment to attend legal professional committees, forums and meetings on specific topics when requested.

Legal professional representatives expressed general satisfaction with the proposal, highlighting the value of reaching out through corporate communications channels for detailed understanding of specific work areas.

The twice-yearly meeting schedule is due to begin in 2026.

8.  Next meeting

The next meeting date is yet to be confirmed but is currently planned for around March 2026.

Rob Hack

Chair