You recently reported some discontent on the part of solicitors about the Leeds Mercantile Court (see [2004] Gazette, 27 May, 6).

Following the appointment of Judge Langan QC as the mercantile judge for Leeds and Newcastle, the decision has been taken to widen the scope of the present Leeds Chancery Court users' committee so that it will also cover users of the Leeds Mercantile Court. The membership of the committee, which includes relevant judiciary, court staff, barristers and solicitors, will be enlarged to reflect the wider scope of the committee. The committee will meet two or three times a year under my chairmanship. It provides a forum in which matters of interest or concern about work in the Chancery and mercantile courts can be discussed openly and frankly between judges, practitioners and court staff.


If any of your readers wish to make known any such concerns so that something can be done about them, they can contact the court manager at Leeds, or the mercantile judge, or write to me direct. Like the other senior and specialist judges, I attach importance to the encourage-ment of specialist jurisdiction in Leeds, as in other centres outside London. We and the court staff wish to respond to the needs of court users in relation to specialist cases, but we cannot do so without being told of the concerns felt.


Mr Justice Lloyd, Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster