New Manchester Civil Justice Centre opens  

The Civil Justice Centre, the second biggest court in the country after the Royal Courts of Justice in London, will create a new home for Manchester County Court and is set to become a flagship centre for civil proceedings in Manchester and the North West.

There are also future hopes for the new CJC to provide a venue for the devolution of the Administrative Court to Manchester which would considerably improve access to justice for clients outside of London.

The striking 16-storey building, designed by Australian architects Denton Corker Marshall, has many of its 47 court rooms, tribunal rooms and hearing rooms housed in glass `cantilever fingers' projecting up to 15 metres from the building's columns which have earned it the nickname `the filing cabinet'.

Andrew Byles is the first member of Garden Court North Chambers to have a case listed in one of the new CJC courtrooms; he appeared in a housing case on Thursday 25th October 2007 and said of the new court "It's spacious, a vast improvement in terms of facilities and conference rooms, but allow a few extra minutes to get through security".

Quick links

> HM Court Service information page for Manchester Civil Justice Centre (select "Manchester County Court" from the drop down list)

Media coverage

> Inside the Civil Justice Centre [includes video footage] - 16/10/2007 (Manchester Evening News)

> What a perfect place to get divorced [i.e. court no 45 on 10th floor!] - 21/10/2007 (The Observer)