Civil Procedure Takes a Bold Step: Unravelling the changes to service out of the jurisdiction and the Civil Procedure Rules in the British Virgin Islands

Abstract

Following years of consultation, the ECSC Civil Procedure Rules 2000 gave way to the revamped and refreshed ECSC Civil Procedure Rules, Revised Edition 2023 (Civil Procedure Rules, Revised 2023), which came into effect on 31 July 2023. The Civil Procedure Rules, Revised 2023, brought sweeping and significant changes to civil practice and procedure, particularly in the areas of service out of the jurisdiction, relief from sanctions, and costs. The Civil Procedure Rules, Revised 2023, gave birth to a novel alternative dispute resolution mechanism, the Judicial Settlement Conference, intended to complement the well-established out-of-court arrangement of court-ordered mediations.