The Disclosure Review Working Group (DRWG), chaired by Lord Justice Butcher and comprising other Judges of the TCC and Commercial Court, is tasked with simplifying disclosure rules for the Business and Property Courts following a profession-wide survey of legal sector stakeholders.
The DRWG examines the operation of Practice Direction (PD) 57AD governing disclosure in the BPC. It was constituted to obtain evidence about whether PD 57AD has achieved its goals (namely saving costs, improving the accuracy of disclosure and improving cooperation among litigants) and whether developments in technology are impacting the process of disclosure.
The DRWG is now publishing a summary of the results of its legal stakeholder survey, which can be found here.
In recent months, the DRWG has conducted a series of meetings. It aims to produce proposals for the simplification of the regime in PD 57AD, with a view to reducing complexity, front-loading and cost.
The DRWG will not be recommending a simple return to Part 31 of the Civil Procedure Rules.
It hopes to be able to consult on a series of recommendations later this year or early in 2027.
Michael Levenstein has represented TECBAR and the interests of the Construction Bar on the DRWG since it was first convened in April 2026.