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Legal Services Bill [HL]

I should say that judges are not supposed to use Latin any more since the noble and learned Lord, Lord Woolf, said so six or seven years ago. Perhaps I might add to what my noble friend has just said. Schedule 3 deals particularly with rights of audience—here, I declare an interest as a former judge—and the ability of the particular individual to appear in court. Under paragraph 1(7), the person is exempt if he, "““is assisting in the conduct of litigation … under instructions given … by an individual … and … under the supervision of that individual … and … the proceedings are being heard in chambers““—" in other words, in private—““in the High Court””. I did not think that we used ““in chambers”” any more; I thought we used ““in private””, but not to worry. It continues, "““or a county court and are not reserved family proceedings””." As I understand it—again, having been a family judge—family proceedings are heard either in open court or in private. Whatever ““reserved family proceedings”” are, they must be held either in private or in open court, and I do not understand why family proceedings have been extracted from bankruptcy or any other sort of proceedings that might be in private or in open court.