Bar Council acts to avoid court listing

The Bar Council has broadened the competition for its online court listing service with the appointment of a second supplier to run the service.

The move follows concerns that the existing supplier of information, CNS, should not be allowed to monopolise the service, after a second listings company, CLLIX, ceased operating.

Now, following a consultation exercise with chambers, the IT consultancy Hamilton Rogers has been chosen for its Court Line service, which is due to start at the end of the month.

Owen Davies, vice-chair of the Bar Services and IT Committee and a tenant of 2 Garden Court, said that barristers were keen to get as good a service as possible.

He said bringing in a new supplier created a more competitive environment. "It's healthy for these sorts of things not to have a monopoly," he said.

Hamilton Rogers is run by directors Stephen Rogers and Anne Hamilton, who both previously developed a listing service at the Legal Information Exchange.

Rogers said Court Line would supply subscribers with all crown court lists and all available High Court lists.

He added that his company was also exploring the possibility of supplying solicitors with civil lists.

Another supplier, the legal publisher Sweet & Maxwell, offers a listing service on the Internet.