The Commercial Court User Group was established in 1967, when Donaldson J was Judge In Charge Of The Commercial Court. As Donaldson explained in his Practice Statement of 6th November 1967 [1967] 1 WLR 1545, the thinking behind the initiative was that the Commercial Court’s ability to amend and update its procedures to meet the changing needs of commercial litigants depends “upon a steady flow of information and constructive suggestions between the Court and those who appear there either as litigants or as their professional advisers”.

Donaldson’s creation has been through several changes of name since 1967, having been variously the Commercial Court Users Liaison Committee, the Commercial Court Committee, and the Commercial Court Users Group, before dropping the final “s” to become the User Group. But its function as as a forum for discussion of the Commercial Court’s performance and its practices and procedures has remained constant. The User Group has made significant contributions to the evolution and refinement of the Court’s way of working: for example, the Commercial Court Guide was originally a User Group initiative. The User Group’s members include members of the Commercial Court Bench and support staff, and representatives of the commercial bar, commercial solicitors, the arbitration world, and trade bodies.

After a period during which the timing of its meetings was a little haphazard, the User Group now meets regularly twice a year.