WHAT HAS CIVIL LITIGATION BRIEF DONE ABOUT… APPLYING FOR PERMISSION TO RELY ON EXPERT EVIDENCE ? A GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS: 10 KEY POINTS WITH USEFUL LINKS
A post yesterday dealt with an unsuccessful application to rely on expert evidence. This is an opportune moment to review the steps that a party seeking to rely on expert evidence should take. In the interest of balance a later…
COST BITES 460: THE FACT THAT A DEFENDANT LOST ON A COUNTERCLAIM DID NOT PREVENT THE COURT FROM ORDERING THE CLAIMANT TO PAY 70% OF THEIR COSTS: ORDER UPHELD ON APPEAL TO THE HIGH COURT
There are certain cases that litigators should keep in their cabinets to show to clients who are overkeen to litigate. This is one of them. The parties were arguing over a boundary line, with one of the issues being whether…
EXPERT WATCH 76 : EXPERT EVIDENCE MAY ASSIST, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN IT IS REASONABLY REQUIRED: PERMISSION REFUSED IN AN APPEAL WORTH TENS OF MILLIONS
We are looking at a case where the tribunal considered whether a party should be granted permission to rely on expert evidence. The judge went back to first principles to consider the issue. It was a high value case with…
THE DISCLOSURE OF PART 36 OFFERS: IS THE DATE OF AN OFFER PART OF ITS “TERMS”? A QUESTION THAT HAS SOME PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES: THE HIGH COURT CONSIDERS THE ISSUE
The rules allow the parties to disclose the existence of a Part 36 offer after a split trial. However the judge cannot be told the “terms” of the offer. Here the court considered the interesting (and important) issue of whether…
BACK TO BASICS MONDAY: 10 KEY POINTS ABOUT DRAFTING A DEFENCE AND THE POSTS THAT SHOW WHY THIS MATTERS
The post last Friday about the inadequate drafting of a defence was the 19th this year on the way in which defences are pleaded. This is a useful time to visit some basic principles in relation to how a defence…
DECODING THE DIRECTORIES: ALSO WHO ASSESSES THOSE WHO ASSESS US: CAN LAWYERS BITE BACK? A WHOLLY FICTIONAL EXAMPLE…
I first wrote about the “true meaning” of entries into directories eight years ago. Since they are in the news this week this is a good opportunity to remind people of what those phrases actually mean. However recent developments have…
EXPERT WATCH 75: A CASE REPLETE WITH EXPERT ISSUES: A FAILURE TO PREPARE A JOINT REPORT PLUS THE CLAIMANT CREATES DIFFICULTIES FOR ITSELF WHEN IT DOES NOT ASK ITS EXPERT TO REPORT ON POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE OUTCOMES
This is the second post on experts today. Here we are in a very different context – the law of dilapidations. This is an area that often requires expert input. In this case we see manifold problems with the way…
WHAT HAS CIVIL LITIGATION BRIEF DONE ABOUT … PROVING DAMAGES: 10 KEY POINTS AND LOTS OF RELEVANT LINKS
The post earlier this morning identifying a case, from 2015, where a claimant failed to prove any damages, highlighted the need for a recap on this topic. There are a large number of posts on this very topic. In the…
THROWBACK FRIDAY: “PROVING THINGS BY EVIDENCE: SUCH A QUAINT, OLD FASHIONED CONCEPT” (OCTOBER 2015)
Here we look at an issue that has given rise to numerous posts on this site over the years – a party fails to prove an essential element of their case. Here the failed to adduce evidence that they had…
EXPERT WATCH 74: “HE EFFECTIVELY ASSUMED AN IMPERMISSIBLE ROLE PROMOTING A PROSECUTION CASE”: EXPERT AND PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT LEAD TO CONVICTIONS BEING QUASHED
We are in unusual territory here in looking at a Criminal Appeal Case from Northern Ireland. However, the importance of the role of the expert knows no real geographical or jurisdictional limit, and the issues raised here are of major…
COST BITES 459 : A DEFENDANT TO COMMITTAL PROCEEDINGS CAN RECOVER COSTS OVER AND ABOVE CRIMINAL LEGAL AID RATES: COURT OF APPEAL DECISION
This is an important decision for those who represent respondents to committal proceedings. The Court of Appeal have overturned previous decisions that states that a successful respondent’s costs are confined to legal aid rates. They are, instead, entitled to recover…
THE CHANCERY DIVISION IS NO MORE: A PRACTICE NOTE FROM THE CHANCELLOR OF THE HIGH COURT
Today is the first day that we don’t have a Chancery Division. Here we look at a Practice Note that set out some practical changes. “Ah, cousin, cousin, it’s a weary word this Chancery!” — Charles Dickens, Bleak House, Chapter…
THE CURRENT IMPORTANCE OF PLEADINGS 96: WHEN YOU HAVE PLEADED AN INADEQUATE DEFENCE IT IS NOT A GOOD PLAN TO DEMAND THAT THE CLAIMANT PAY FOR ADEQUATE PARTICULARS TO BE PROVIDED…
Here is a classic case of a failure to draft a Defence properly. It contains a number of surprising elements. Firstly the defendant, having filed an inadequately particularised Defence, stated it would provide further particulars only if the claimant paid…
AI AND CIVIL JUSTICE: PREPARING FOR THE TSUNAMI – LORD BRIGGS ON ACCESS TO JUSTICE, PROCEDURAL RULES AND THE HUMAN JUDGE
Issues relating to the use of AI continue to “interest” the legal profession. They also interest judges. Here I summarise Lord Briggs’ Keynote Address to the Oxford Civil Justice Systems in the 21st Century Conference. “… if human judges want…
ONLINE POSSESSION PROCEEDINGS: A USEFUL CHECKLIST FOR PRACTITIONERS
The post earlier this morning set out the major elements of the new Practice Direction on the Online Procedure Rules for Possession Proceedings. At the moment these have limited geographical scope. However it is likely that they will apply more…
ONLINE POSSESSION PROCEEDINGS: A NEW PRACTICE DIRECTION, COURT COMMUNICATIONS AND SOME IMPORTANT DEADLINES: CAME INTO FORCE ON THE 29th SEPTEMBER…
The Practice Direction: Online Procedure Rules for Possession Proceedings, updated on 29 September 2026 (and came into force at 12.00 that very day), introduces a procedural framework for specified County Court possession claims. It supplements the Online Procedure Rules 2026…
MILLIONS OF DOCUMENTS, 27 FACTUAL WITNESSES AND THE ASSESSMENT OF CREDIBILITY: WITNESS EVIDENCE IN THE MANCHESTER CITY PROCEEDINGS
Yesterday we looked at an issue in the news to review questions of witness credibility. We do the same today in a wholly different context: football and the decision in the proceedings brought against Manchester City Football Club. However we…
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