Bristol Law Society has secured a deal to use its city centre base as a ‘Nightingale Court’ building to ease pressure on Bristol Crown Court caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The temporary courts will occupy the conference room, boardroom and three mediation rooms in the 1,800 sq ft Colston Avenue building, which the Bristol Law Society acquired three years ago – the first time it had owned its own premises. 
The oldest regional law society in the country, Bristol Law Society celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. It is understood to be the only law society so far to let accommodation to the Ministry of Justice to help with the backlog of cases caused when courts closed during lockdown earlier this year.
The society’s operational team have been working remotely since the lockdown in March.
Hiring out the accommodation as courts, which will handle employment tribunal and non-custodial criminal cases such as community service orders, will replace income lost from their previous use as meetings venues and mediation suites.
Temporary courts, known as Nightingale Courts, have been rapidly set up across the country by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to alleviate the pressure on courts and tribunals resulting from the pandemic.
The MoJ said the move was ensuring that justice continued to be served as quickly as possible. 
Bristol Law Society president Ben Holt, pictured, said: “This is I believe a great example of the benefits that can be achieved by close co-operation between the Society, the profession, the judiciary and the Ministry of Justice.
“It will enable and ensure greater access to the justice system to members of the public and court users at a time when it is under extreme pressure.”
Courts minister Chris Philp MP added: “I am grateful to Bristol Law Society for joining the national effort to reduce delays and deliver speedier justice for victims.
“This is part of our plan to unlock vital capacity in the face of this unprecedented pandemic and ensure our courts recover as quickly as possible.”
It brings the number of Nightingale Courts open nationwide to 14, including one in Chester which also began hearing cases this week. A further two are due to open later this month, in total providing 22 extra courtrooms.
The move follows a recent in £80m investment in the courts system to meet the unprecedented challenge presented by the pandemic, the Ministry of Justice said.
This will fund the employment of 1,600 new staff to support the recovery, with more temporary Nightingale Courts and technology to boost capacity. These measures are beginning to show positive results:
Crown courts are currently holding more than 100 jury trials, and are clearing 1,700-plus cases a week
Some 250 Crown Court rooms will be available for jury trials by the end of this month following the roll out of Plexiglass screens to more than 200 court rooms and 100 jury deliberation rooms, the MoJ said.
