A senior judge has called for Birmingham to have its own permanent Administrative Court.
Lord Justice May made the recommendation as part of a report by the Judicial Working Party, which was given the task of observing the justice system outside of the capital.
While it said Cardiff had the strongest constitutional case for an Administrative Court, the report singles out Birmingham as the city with the strongest business case.
In the report, the judge acknowledged the city had already shown an interest in having a permanent High Court and an Administrative Court would be a significant stage in the process of acquiring one.
Birmingham Forward and its partners St Philips Chambers, No 5 Chambers, the Birmingham Law Society and Deloitte, have been actively lobbying to bring a permanent High Court to the city.
In early 2006, the Birmingham High Court project team submitted a study looking at the need for a permanent High Court and in June this year, it provided data to the Judicial Working Party on the demand for a permanent Administrative Court.
Commenting on the report's recommendations, Richard Brennan, chief executive of Birmingham Forward, said it highlighted the success of "well planned, sustained and co-ordinated lobbying".
He said: "We have kept up the pressure both with the judiciary and national politicians over the past 18 months since we first presented a study outlining the need for a Permanent High Court in Birmingham.
"Of course these are only recommendations that need to be agreed by the Government and the Judicial Executive Board. However, we are confident that the recommendation will be approved.
"This is just the first positive step in our on-going campaign to ensure Birmingham is granted a permanent High Court," he said.
Alistair Wyvill, a barrister with the St Philips Chambers, said the recommendations were "great news" for regional justice.
"For litigants it is important because they could now have the opportunity to have local cases heard locally with all the obvious personal financial and logistical benefits," he said. "It is also very welcome news for Birmingham's legal community. All types of cases from challenges and decisions from health and education authorities to complaints about town planning issues could be heard in the Administrative Court."
