CIVIL LITIGATION: REVIEW OF 2018 1: FACTS AND FIGURES: MOST READ POSTS & INTERESTING SEARCH TERMS

Rather than try one all-encompassing review of the year this will be done in a series of posts.

THE TOP TEN BLOG POSTS OF 2018

With over 1, 145,000  views the blog remains fairly popular. It is interesting to see what people are reading the most.    This, in itself, says a lot about the concerns of litigators.  It is often the “nuts and bolts” type post that remain in the forefront. Only two of the posts in the top 10 were written this year. The blog’s “back catalogue” continues to attract thousands of readers.

• The lying witness: the approach of the civil courts is comfortably in first place.  This was written back in 2015 yet still gets thousands of readers.
• Drafting witness statements that comply with the rules: 4 Golden Rules  (written in January 2014 it is still a mainstay of the blog).
• Pleading a defence properly the difference between a “non-admission” and a “denial”. (Again written in 2014, still attracts thousands of readers).
• The danger of issuing under Part 8 and then doing very little. (This was written in January 2018, the issuing of proceedings under Part 8 has led to some lax practices).
• Replies and defence to counterclaim: a primer. (a very basic issue, written in July 2016).
• Trial bundles, timing, contents and presentation ( written in December 2013 this has been in the “charts” ever since this blog started, it was number one for three years running).
• Adjournments on the grounds of ill health ( this was written in the issue of adjournments is a regular feature, the recent post on adjournments because of bad weather had thousands of readers, the only blog post to feature “the Beast from the East”.0
• Pleading and proving allegations of fraud or dishonesty
• Drafting witness statements that comply with the rules: a checklist too important to ignore  (again this has been in the charts for several years).
• Skeleton arguments, get the font size right.  (one of the few in the chart that was written this year, essential reading for anyone involved with the Court of Appeal).

INTERESTING SEARCH TERMS

The search term that led most people to the blog is “amazon”, I don’t pretend to understand this.

Unsurprisingly the second most common term is “civil litigation brief”, then we have “gordon exall blog”, “relief from sanctions”.

We often have the “desperate” search term

• “witness statement served late”
• “failure to file a defence”
• “claim struck out can it be reinstated”
• “late service of a schedule of costs”
• “issues of capacity cannot be dealt with after judgment”
• “can i file skeleton argument later in court of appeal if no trasncript”
• “can a claimant refuse to pay costs pending appeal”

Then there are the “strange” search terms, strange in the sense that there must be a backstory behind some of these terms.

(The spellings are as in the original search terms. I stress I only see the search terms. I know nothing about who searches (or why).

• “when you are in real trouble”
• “making urgent court claim with seal”
• “grandstanddng court”
• “relationship between pleadings and evidence”
• “”no order extending time should be sought unless there are exceptional circumstances”
• “problem can include are not limited to insufficient evidence ,witnesses not subpoenaed timeously and incomplete police dockets”
• “how much does a witness statement cost”
• “compensation for irregularly entered default judgment”
• “costs difference between strike out and summary judgment”
• “leading qusetions (sic) in a witness statment”
• “can notional cost be granted by a court or tribunal”
• “can a civil witness statement include the witnesses own opinion on the accident”
• “in a skeleton argument, do you cite the authority containing the test”
• “witness admits to lying yet judge still finds credible”
• “what can happen if someone forges a signature on a witness statement for court”
• “how to draw attention of court over a case”
• “what weight can be attached to a draft judgment”
• “adjournment on personal ground of lawyer”
• “difference between witness statement and defence ccj”
• “can i waive privilege by teaching about a case”
• “can a judge go back and change his ruling”
• “can erd judge tell if witness is lying”
• “is a single witness statement evidence contract law”
• “unfounded allegations civil litigation uk”
• “the secret barrister identity”
• “potential consequences of lying about finances to a civil judge”
• “can the claim form prejudice cost budget”
• “are witness statements pleadings”
• “kept out of his money litigation”
• “can witnesses look at other witness statements before writing their own”
• “what is legal action against breach of affidavit”
• “the error of claimant in briefing a lawyer after service of originating process”