CE-File Court and Case Category Changes, 5 October 2026

The short answer

From 6 am on Monday 5 October 2026, the Court and Case Category fields on CE-File use the names of the new Business and Property Division of the High Court.

LHT DMS version 1.0.13, released the same morning, comes with the new Court and Case Category lists. The automatic download of your CE-File documents works with CE-File as it now is.

What changed on CE-File

The changes are set out in the Practice Note for the Business and Property Division issued by the Chancellor of the High Court on 28 September 2026. In summary:

The Court and Case Category fields on CE-File now reflect the names used in the Business and Property Division.
The fields were updated automatically for cases that existed at 6 pm on Friday 2 October. Case numbers have not changed.
The title of proceedings on documents now takes the form: In the High Court of Justice, Business and Property Division, followed by the court or list, for example Commercial Court, Technology and Construction Court or Patents Court.
Judgments in the Division are given a neutral citation in the form [20XX] EWHC XXXX (BP). The Admiralty Court (Admlty), the Commercial Court including the Circuit Commercial Court (Comm), the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC), the Patents Court (Pat) and the Technology and Construction Court (TCC) keep their own forms.

The Practice Note itself is on the judiciary's website: Practice Note for Business and Property Division: CE-File, title of proceedings and neutral citation of judgments.

If you already use LHT DMS for CE-File

Accept the updateWhen you open LHT DMS, it offers version 1.0.13. Accept it.
Create a new spreadsheetOn the CE (GB) tab, click Create New Spreadsheet. A spreadsheet created by this version carries the new Court and Case Category lists. A spreadsheet made with an earlier version carries the old names.
Enter your casesEnter your CE-File username and password and your cases in the new spreadsheet, choosing the court and category for each case from the new lists. Give each case the same folder as before.
Hook the new spreadsheet and press DownloadThe documents already in your folders are left alone. The run takes only what has been filed since.

If you are new to LHT DMS

CE-File allows you to download the documents filed in your cases by hand, one document at a time. LHT DMS downloads every document in every case for you, numbered in filing order and dated, and on later runs takes only what is new. The steps are in How to download all your documents from CE-File.

Questions

Have my case numbers changed?

No. The Practice Note says the Court and Case Category fields were updated automatically for existing cases and that case numbers will not change.

Do I have to download my documents again?

No. Give each case the same folder as before. The documents already in the folder are left alone, and a run takes only what has been filed since.

Where can I read the changes themselves?

In the Practice Note for the Business and Property Division issued by the Chancellor of the High Court on 28 September 2026, published on the judiciary's website.

Is LHT DMS connected with HMCTS?

No. LHT DMS is independent software from Legal Hi Tech Limited. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by HMCTS.

Free for all of 2026, for Windows and macOS.

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This page reports changes set out in the Practice Note and seen on CE-File. It is not legal advice. CE-File is the HM Courts & Tribunals Service e-filing system. LHT DMS is independent software from Legal Hi Tech Limited and is not affiliated with or endorsed by HMCTS.

CE-File changed on 5 October 2026. LHT DMS is updated.