-- Funding for the training of district judges will be vital to the success of the Woolf reforms, says Master Robert Turner'For now we see through a glass darkly,' (Corinthians).

No words could be more apt in relation to the likely impact of case management on the courts and the profession in 1998, when it is expected that the new 'Woolf rules' will be introduced.Case management practices are used by the official referees, the Commercial Court and various county courts.

Despite this, judges in general, and masters and district judges in particular, will have very little experience of what is involved.

And the main burden of management of cases will fall on the district judges.We do have the practice directions of 1995.

The opening passages of ord 25 make it clear that the courts have a duty to 'give such directions as to the future course of the action as appear best adapted to secure the just, expeditious and economical disposal thereof' (r 1(1)(b)).However, the new rules will require the procedural judge to decide on the appropriate track with regard to the complexity of the facts, law or evidence; the number of parties; the effect of any judgment on persons who are not party to the proceedings; the resources of the parties; the measures the court may need to take to manage the case; whether a party has the right to a jury trial; and the wishes of the parties (pt 24, r 24.5).

Only then will judges allocate a track and embark on giving the appropriate management directions.

This initial exercise will involve the most careful reading of case papers, which will require time and experience on the part of the judges.

It is apparent that training of new procedural judges will be of paramount importance under the new rules.

The Judicial Studies Board will need to devise a series of courses, with trained instructors, in order to meet the deadline for the introduction of the rules.The question that has yet to receive a proper answer is whether, in these difficult times, money is available to provide the instructions and other resources necessary to introduce these important reforms.We must wait with interest and concern for the Lord Chancellor's pronouncement on the Woolf report and its implementation, later this month.

Many of us will be looking for a clear commitment from the Treasury to provide the means to fund the introduction of these reforms.

The money cannot be raised by the Court Agency alone.-- Solicitors should prepare now for the rigours of litigation on the fast track, says Simon ParringtonThe implementation of Lord Woolf's fast track is probably just around the corner.

When it does arrive, those who handle county court work will find themselves exposed to the rigours of 'cost and efficiency'.

The fast track will offer the consumer a litigation sausage machine, with fixed timetables, limited use of experts and fixed costs.

Because of the limited-costs regime, the fast track will offer a no-frills service to litigants, and it is only the efficient litigators who will survive and profit.

Like all good scouts, litigators will need to be prepared.Efficiency means good preparation.

The solicitors of plaintiffs and defendants and/or the insurers will have to ensure, whenever possible, that, prior to the commencement of proceedings, they have:-- taken a definitive statement from the party that they represent;-- identified and taken statements from all relevant witnesses; -- identified and secured relevant experts and obtained reports;-- secured and collated all relevant documents for the purpose of standard discovery; and-- set up a foolproof diary system for the purposes of efficient case management.The important new element is that there will be sanctions for failure to comply with the automatic timetable.

Most litigators with a reasonable case-load will not have the time to cobble together a case after the commencement of proceedings on the fast track.

The canny solicitor for the plaintiff will have prepared a case before issue so that after issue he or she can run through the timetable without default on the way to trial.

On the fast track, only defendants who have investigated early will be in a position to counter the efficient plaintiff and prevent the plaintiff from progressing through the costs trigger points.

A failure to comply with the automatic directions -- in effect 'unless' orders -- will mean either a wasted costs order, assessed and payable forthwith, or a debar.Litigators should not wait for the fast track.

The judges have already been injuncted to adopt the Woolf culture, and Lord Woolf fired the first shot with his judgment in Beachley Property Ltd v Edgar [1996] The Times, 18 July (see 'Civil litigation', page 25).

A heavy case-load, a failure to devise a suitable diary system and a lack of case preparation on the fast track could lead to disaster.

Prepare for the fast track now.