Relocating six High Court judges to the Midlands could save local businesses up to £2.4 million a year, it has been claimed.

The move would also save £400,000 of public money and improve judicial diversity, according to a report by lobby group Birmingham Forward, the Birmingham Law Society, accountants Deloitte, and St Philips and No 5 chambers.


Birmingham Law Society president Richard Follis said: 'Many regionally-based litigants cannot afford the additional costs of having their cases heard in London, so they are left with a stark choice: either have your case heard by a less senior judge in the Midlands, or drop the case.'


The report - submitted in response to a consultation on judicial resources - was backed by local litigators. Ian Gray, head of litigation at Eversheds' central region, said: 'We are generally supportive of this move because we think there is a demand there that can be met by more High Court judges. There's no doubt that there are a lot of parties to High Court litigation in... the area that might easily be served by Birmingham.'


Eddie Breen, head of Wragge & Co's dispute resolution group, said the main benefits would come from having better judges outside London. He said: 'Costs are obviously a factor, but quality and accessibility are perhaps the biggest benefits.'