CIVIL

PROCEEDINGS IN
ENGLAND &
WALES

Inglés Profesional y Académico Civil proceedings

 Civil justice systems in the UK
Distinct jurisdictions:
England and Wales;
Scotland; Northern
Ireland.

Separate legal
systems, laws, courts,
prosecution services,
central authorities.

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 Jurisdictions

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 Introduction: civil case names

• Brown v Smith (two

neighbours):

Literally: “Brown versus Smith”

Orally: “Brown and Smith”

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 VOCABULARY

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 Parties
• Parties to the suit:
Claimant (formerly plaintiff): injured
party. “Petitioner” in divorce proceedings
and some company law proceedings.
Appeal stage: appellant.

Defendant (adversary) // “Respondent” in

divorce proceedings and some company
law proceedings. Appeal stage:
respondent.
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 Vocabulary
• “ACTION”: term used at the initial stage (e.g.
‘cause of action’, ‘right of action’, ‘no cause of
action’).

• “CASE”: term used beyond the initial stage (e.g.

‘the case at issue’, ‘the instant case’, ‘as in the
present case’; ‘there is no case to answer’.

• “CASE” and “LAWSUIT”: both normally

connote a civil case.

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 WRONGS, TORTS &
REMEDIES

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 Disputes
• Most disputes concern:

• Breach of contract
• Tort (wrongful act independent of a contract)
• Property rights
• Successions or contentious probates
• Industrial or intellectual property

FRAUD and ASSAULT under English law: both a crime

and a tort.

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 Torts
• There are several types of tort (non-contractual civil
wrong) including:
 wrongs against the person only (e.g. defamation of
character, libel);
 wrongs against property only (e.g. trespass);
 wrongs which may be against people or property (e.g.
negligence or nuisance).
• Some matters may involve both contract and tort, e.g.
personal injury cases which show negligence and
breach of a contractual duty of care.
• Others may be crimes as well as torts (e.g. assault
and fraud).
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 Wrongs
• Civil courts hear cases brought by persons
who claim to have suffered some wrong,
harm or injury:

• Personal injury
• Loss of or damage to property
• Damage to reputation
• Damage to rights (infringement of rights)

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 Remedies
• Claimant seeks a remedy:
 Damages (common law remedy). Usual remedy.
 Relief (equitable remedy; e.g., exemption from a
charge, duty or liability).

 Account of profit (assessment of profit obtained 

commercial and industrial property cases).

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 CIVIL COURTS

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 CIVIL PROCEDURE RULES

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 Civil Procedure Rules 1998
Measures:
1. Simplification of legal language (plain
English).
2. Use of Information Technology (IT).
3. Case management. Procedural judges 
strict control of times (stages) and
procedure.
4. Unification of procedure.
5. Tracking.
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 Civil Procedure Rules 1998
(1) Simplification of legal language

- Plaintiff  “Claimant”.

- Pleadings  “Statements of case/claim”. Careful with “particulars

of claim” (where claimant sets out details of the case; escrito de

pretensiones in Spanish).

- Affidavit  “Statement of truth”.

- Writ of summons  “claim form”.

- Leave  “Permission” (“with the permission of the court”).

- Discovery  “Disclosure”.

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 Civil Procedure Rules 1998
(4) Unification of procedure
Three main stages:
(1) Issue of claim form.
(2) Service of claim form on defendant.
(3) Acknowledgement of service  implies
that the defendant places himself on the court
record (Spanish: se constituye como parte en el proceso).

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 Civil Procedure Rules 1998
(4) Unification of procedure
CLAIM FORM is accompanied by:

(1) PARTICULARS OF CLAIM (escrito de pretensiones) and

sets out facts relied on, nature and object of claim, remedy
sought, relevant legal grounds.

(2) RESPONSE PACK: acknowledgement of service (“serve

proceedings”), admission of the claim (allanamiento), defence of
the claim (contestación a la demanda).

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 Civil Procedure Rules 1998
(5) Tracking
Allocation of case: depends on amount involved (amount in
dispute), type of claim and the judge’s view of complexity of
issues involved.

Tracks:
- The small claims track.
- The fast track.
- The multitrack.

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 THE SMALL CLAIMS
TRACK

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 Small claims track

- Ordinary claims not exceeding £10,000

(except personal injury and housing repair
cases, where it is £1,000.

- Tried always by district judges.

- Very simple procedural rules: possible for
litigants to conduct the case themselves
with no help from a solicitor.

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 THE FAST TRACK

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 The fast track
- Cases valued between £10,000 and £35,000. Also for
non-monetary claims (claims seeking an injunction or
specific performance of a contract). Limited
disclosure (formerly discovery), written expert
evidence only.

- Simplifies and speeds up cases: formerly 83 weeks

 38 weeks. PREVENTION OF TIME-WASTING:
Trials not to last longer than one day, refusal to grant
extensions to time limits and refusal to allow more
than one expert witness.

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 THE MULTI-TRACK

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 The multi-track
Cases valued over £35,000 and/or
unusually complex or that last more than
one day.

Examples of cases:
- Commercial and business law.
- Company law.

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 ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE
RESOLUTION (ADR)

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 Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

POSSIBILITIES:

(1) Mediation

(2) Arbitration

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 Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

(1) Mediation
A process for resolving disagreements in which
an impartial third party (the mediator) helps
people in dispute to find a mutually acceptable
resolution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXXCIqHFfV0&fe
ature=related

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 Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

(2) Arbitration
• Dispute resolution in which a neutral third party
(arbitrator, often a retired judge) renders a
decision after a hearing.
• Arbitration awards (not ‘judgments’) ARE binding
decisions.
• In commercial disputes and consumer claims.

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 THE TRIAL

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 The trial or hearing

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 The trial or hearing

(1) Counsel for the claimant first to intervene,

opening speech: s/he goes through the
statements of case and states the claimant’s
case.

(2) Counsel for the claimant calls witnesses to

give evidence on oath or affirmation.

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 The trial or hearing
• Examination of witnesses:

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 The trial or hearing
• Examination of witnesses:
 Direct examination or examination-in-
chief. (No leading questions  questions
that “lead” the witness into an answer or that
take information for granted).
 Cross examination.
 Re-examination.

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 THE JUDGMENT

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 The judgment
(1) Judgment for the claimant (plaintiff).
(2) Judgment for the defendant.

English law does not ‘condemn’ or ‘absolve’ defendant

 there is no question in civil matters of guilt or
innocence.

Damages or any other remedy NOT SEEN as a

punishment on the defendant but rather as his/her duty
to compensate, relieve or redress claimant for wrong
suffered.
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