1. The purpose of this practice direction is to safeguard the integrity of court files maintained in the offices of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal and the Central Office of the High Court. This practice direction arises in the context of the judgment delivered in the High Court (Kelly P.) in Michael and Thomas Butler Ltd & ors. -v- Bosod Ltd & ors. [2018] IEHC 702.

2. The files maintained in the aforementioned offices of the Superior Courts shall not be made available to any person attending at any of those offices. For the avoidance of doubt this includes the parties to the proceedings and the solicitors on record.

3. Nothing in paragraph 2. of this practice direction shall preclude the provision of a copy of a document on a file to a solicitor on record or a party to the proceedings where not legally represented upon payment of the relevant fee provided for in the Fees Order.

4. This practice direction is issued by each of the signatories hereunder in respect of the court of which he is President, and shall have application to files of proceedings before each such court accordingly.

5. This practice direction shall come into operation on the 29th day of April 2019.

Dated this 9th day of April 2019
Signed

Frank Clarke
Chief Justice

George Birmingham
President of the Court of Appeal

Peter Kelly
President of the High Court