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To anonymous 09:20am

There are traps to the unwary there. I certainly used to use failure to accept an invitation to a JSM as evidence of unreasonable conduct on a defendant's part.

There have been attempts by various court groups at county court level to force the issue by ordering that even if represented, the parties are obliged to attend allocation and listings hearings in person. The rationale is that by having everybody in the same building, issues may be narrowed. I know this is, or at least was common practice on the south coast. I know that the DCJ of Leeds was a fan of the approach too, though I'm nor sure such orders are made there.