Communicourt is a legal services company, based in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. It provides Non-Registered Intermediaries for

defendants In court proceedings, a defendant is a person or object who is the party either accused of committing a crime in criminal prosecution or against whom some type of civil relief is being sought in a civil case. Terminology varies from one jurisdi ...

in criminal proceedings and

respondents A respondent is a person who is called upon to issue a response to a communication made by another. The term is used in legal contexts, in survey methodology, and in psychological conditioning. Legal usage In legal usage, this term specificall ...

in family proceedings in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. As of April 2022, Communicourt provides legal

intermediaries An intermediary, also known as a middleman or go-between, is defined differently by context. In law or diplomacy, an intermediary is a third party who offers intermediation services between two parties. In trade or barter, an intermediary acts ...

as a Managed and Approved Service Provider (MASP) on behalf of

HMCTS His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. It was created on 1 April 2011 (as Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service) by the merger of Her Majesty's Courts Service and the Tribuna ...

.Criminal Practice Directions allow the court the discretion to appoint an intermediary for a vulnerable defendant because the Ministry of Justice does not offer this service. Prior to April 2022, Communicourt provided its services outside the Witness Intermediary Scheme run by the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

which has not historically provided intermediaries for

in court cases. Communicourt provides intermediary services for a variety of court users and proceedings, including

in criminal proceedings,

or other parties in family proceedings, appellants in

immigration tribunals Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short-te ...

complainants A plaintiff ( Π in legal shorthand) is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an ''action'') before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy. If this search is successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the ...

or respondents in employment tribunals, and incarcerated people during

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

hearings. Intermediaries are not

appropriate adult In English law, an appropriate adult is a parent, guardian or social worker; or if no person matching this is available, any responsible person over 18. The term was introduced as part of the policing reforms in the Police and Criminal Evidence A ...

s or

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

es and do not provide legal advice. They facilitate communication between a court user and the court and/or legal professionals. Intermediaries may work alongside other professionals in court such as advocates or

interpreters Interpreting is translation from a spoken or signed language into another language, usually in real time to facilitate live communication. It is distinguished from the translation of a written text, which can be more deliberative and make use o ...

. Court users may additionally be supported by an

official solicitor In the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, the Official Solicitor is a public officer who acts for people who, because they lack mental capacity and cannot properly manage their own affairs, are unable to represent themselves and no other suitable person ...

litigation friend In common law, a next friend (Law French ''prochein ami'') is a person who represents another person who is under age, or, because of disability or otherwise, is unable to maintain a suit on his or her own behalf and who does not have a legal gua ...

McKenzie friend A McKenzie friend assists a litigant in person in a court of law in Australia, Canada, England and Wales, Hong Kong, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and New Zealand, by prompting, taking notes, and quietly giving advice. They need not b ...

. Communicourt was founded in 2011 by Naomi Mason, who worked as a

Registered Intermediary Registered may refer to: * Registered mail, letters, packets or other postal documents considered valuable and in need of a chain of custody * Registered trademark symbol, symbol ® that provides notice that the preceding is a trademark or service ...

and a Non-Registered Intermediary. The company recruits Speech and language therapists and Psychology graduates with an interest in the legal system, and other graduates with relevant knowledge and experience. Communicourt staff then undergo an extensive Intermediary Training Programme and complete intermediary competencies, alongside ongoing continued professional development (CPD) and professional supervision. Young male offenders are at high risk for previously undetected oral language deficits, and this risk increases as severity of offending increases. There are many vulnerable defendants that stand trial requiring professional assistance. Communicourt work closely with the defendant, court personnel and counsel during proceedings. As of summer 2023, Communicourt has over 80 full-time intermediaries and an administration team.

References

{{Reflist Companies based in Dudley 2011 establishments in England Law firms established in 2011