Could it be that Lord Woolf's Utopian vision of a civil justice system where co-operation replaces confrontation is starting to become reality?

First the legal profession saw cross-industry agreement over costs in low-value road traffic cases that settle pre-issue - which looks like being just the first of many such deals.

And this week we report on the apparent cessation of hostilities among both expert witness groups and claims management companies.

There is, of course, a large dose of pragmatism in all of these moves.

With the costs system grinding to a halt and cashflow drying up alarmingly for some firms, claimant solicitors were forced to trade the previous level of fees for the certainty that they would at least be paid.

Expert witnesses - especially in the criminal field - now find their credibility under the microscope like never before, while claims management companies are fighting for their lives following the demise of Claims Direct and The Accident Group.

But jaw-jaw has always got to be better than war-war.

Whatever the motivation, the end result is one that should benefit the profession and clients alike.

And it is even a lesson that solicitors are learning.

This week sees the launch of the latest - and one of the biggest - personal injury marketing networks.

The inability of law firms to work together has cost the profession in other fields, such as property selling, and if they can overcome that, then maybe Utopia is not so far away after all.