I read with interest the Obiter item about Lord Woolf and his changes to legal terminology. You asked for examples; I can provide one.
Shortly after the change, a barrister at a well-known trade union firm I used to instruct who had a similar sense of humour to me drafted a particulars of claim which began: ‘The claimant hereinafter referred to as the plaintiff.’
I did not think I would forgive Lord Woolf for his changes to legal terminology, though his genuine concern for access to justice trumped all.
Under the current regime, there seems to be a genuine concern to prevent access to justice for the most vulnerable people in our community and indeed anybody who did not go to Oxford.
Suddenly, I am prepared to say ‘claimant’ and ‘claim form’ with gusto.
Neville Filar, Kenneth Elliott & Rowe, Romford
