Set out time limits at the bottom of the CPR book. Contract – Cause of action structure:
Litigation Exam: Civil 65%, Criminal 35% – two exams on the same day
1. Duty: The duties of both parties is set out in the contract governing
the parties’ relationships. – Look at express and implied terms.
PROCEDURE TIMELINE
Implied terms:
From commencement of claim: start ADR, Settlement, Part 36 offers s.13 Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 Reasonable care + skill
1. Comply with pre-action rules – send Letter of Claim If contract is for Sale of goods also look at the below:
s.14(2) Sale of Goods Act 1979 Satisfactory quality
CPR 23-25 From issuing Claim Form: start any Interim applications s.14(3) SGA 1979 Fitness for purpose
s.13 SGA 1979 If the sale is sale by description: products sold by
2. CPR 7.5 Claim form: Claimant (C) must Serve Claim Form description should match the description
within 4 months of issue
3. CPR 7 Particulars of Claim (PoC): Serve Particulars of Claim 2. Breach: Did the defendant breach a term of the contract? – eg.
with the Claim Form. If PoC is served separately, 14 days Express or implied term
after Claim Form served 3. Loss: Did the claimant suffer loss as a result of the breach?
4. CPR 10.3 Acknowledgement of Service (AoS): Defendant
(D) to file AoS within 14 days after PoC. 4. Damage:
5. CPR 14 Admissions Measure of damages:
6. CPR 15.4(1)(a)-(b) Defence: D must file the Defence 28 days 1. Contract claims: Put injured party in position had the contract
after PoC (only if acknowledged service) been properly performed. C must mitigate.
7. CPR 12 Judgment in default: If Defendant fails to file a 2. Debts: it is a claim for a sum owed. No need to mitigate.
Defence/Acknowledgement of Service
8. CPR 26.3 Notice of proposed allocation 5. Remedies
CPR 15.8 Reply to Defence is served with Directions
Questionnaire. Conclude: Client’s prospects of success? Any missing info? Strengths
and weaknesses of the case?
9. CPR 3.13 If the claim is a multi track claim:
If < £50k: File first page of Precedent H with DQ
If > £50k: File Precedent H 21 days before CMC COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS FOR LITIGATION:
File the budget discussion report 7 days before CMC
10. CPR 26.5 Claim is allocated to a track, an allocation hearing Pros:
is held • If large amounts at stake: may win the case and get large
11. Case and costs management conference (CCMC) is held amounts in compensation
12. CPR 26-29 Directions • If the defendant has deep pockets such as indemnity insurance:
13. Instruct experts likely that any compensation will be paid
14. CPR 31 Disclosure and inspection • Publicity: the defendant will not want the publicity brought by
15. CPR 32 Exchange witness statements court hearing and may prefer to settle before going to court.
16. CPR 35 Exchange experts’ reports
17. Preparation for trial Cons:
18. Pre-trial checklist • Litigation is expensive
19. Trial • Time-consuming and requires complex steps
20. CPR 52 Appeals • May need to pay legal fees upfront and may not recover the
21. CPR 70 Enforcement whole costs even if wins
• Litigation is risky and uncertain
• Difficult to prove negligence
• If the case is lost, C will likely have to pay substantial costs – CPR
CASE ANALYSIS 44.2(2)(a)
LIABILITY IN TORT AND CONTRACT:
COST CALCULATIONS:
Limitation periods (calculate exact date): Limitation Act 1980
If not commenced within this time, the claimant is barred damages. Retainer = contract between solicitor and client. Client must instruct
solicitor who must then agree to act. Initial interview = not retainer.
Tort: Contract:
s.2 6 years from cause of action date s.5 6 years from breach of Solicitors’ costs:
even if unaware of breach and contract – eg. did not satisfy 1. Profit costs (hourly rate x numbers of hours spent) plus VAT
damages occurred later. – eg. date obligations 2. Disbursements
of poor advice, not date of retainer
Bill your time every 6 minutes.
Claim concurrent duties (sue for both tort and contract) and if
limitation period is tight, one claim might still fall within the period. Who pays costs?
Solicitor/client costs: The client is responsible for their solicitor’s costs.
Tort – Cause of action structure: CPR 44.2(1)(a) court will take into account the conduct of the parties.
CPR 44.2(2)(a) Party/party costs: unsuccessful party pays successful
1. Duty of care: Reasonably competent advice from reasonably party’s costs
competent solicitor. – Sue lawyer in tort and the LLP for breach of
contract (LLP has deeper pockets) Court’s wide discretion:
2. Breach: Did the defendant breach their duty? – eg. What was the CPR 44.2(1) Who pays how much and when
solicitor’s specialism? Would similarly qualified property lawyers CPR 44.2(4)-(5) Factors affecting how much: whether or not you have
advise differently? Caveated advice? acted reasonably throughout the case. You will only recover 60%-70%
3. Causation: Did the defendant’s breach cause the claimant’s loss? – of the costs even if you win – client pays the shortfall.
eg. Did the solicitor’s breach cause the loss suffered? Did X rely on CPR 44.4 The amount paid
this advice? What would X have done if caveated advice? CPR 44.7 When they pay
4. Remoteness: Was the damage suffered reasonably foreseeable?
5. Loss suffered: Must be foreseeable not too remote. – eg. £5m loss
for property, but damages recoverable = £5m premium
6. Damage:
Measure of damages:
1. Put the claimant back in the position had the tort not occurred.
Be wary of remote damages and contributory negligence.
2. Contributory negligence: if the loss has been partly caused by
the claimant’s own negligence – damages received by the
claimant will be reduced.
7. Remedies
Conclude: Client’s prospects of success? Any missing info? Strengths
and weaknesses of the case?
Civil Litigation – Revision notes | Page 1 of 21
, FUNDING INSURANCE:
LEGAL AID FUNDING: If the policy was entered into after 1 Apr 2013: Insurance premium is
not recoverable from the other side if the policy-holder then wins at
Which type of claims might qualify? trial and is awarded its costs.
The following will not be funded – alternative funding needed:
1. Personal injury or death – but injury due to clinical negligence Before the event (BTE) After the event (ATE)
is not excluded. insurance insurance
2. Conveyancing, boundary disputes, defamation, wills/trust
law, company/partnership law, contract claims BTE insurance provides the Criteria: merits of the case + the
3. Employment cases negligence and consumer cases client with an indemnity for the level of cover required, i.e.
cost of any legal fees incurred as whether a particular insurance
What type of funding is available? a result of any such future company is willing to take on the
litigation. risk and on what terms.
Legal help: helping with preparing a case, but not litigation
Help at court: allows advocates to speak for the client at a court hearing BTE premiums are relatively low ATE premiums are more
without acting formally – one-off help for one trial. (less than 1% of the insurance expensive (more than 25% of the
Legal representation: covers preparation + litigation + representation. cover). insurance cover).
Assessing whether a client qualifies for help:
Only available to individuals. Must pass both the merits + means test.
Merits test:
Moderate prospect of success is enough.
Will be refused funding if:
Unlikely to win more than the case costs
Alternative funding available
Suitable for the small claims track
Complaints procedure/ADR is not exhausted
Unreasonable for the public to fund the case
Means test:
If the client or their partner receives benefit (e.g. income support) they
are eligible.
If no benefits, then consider client’s capital and income:
1. Capital: disposable capital is max. £8,000. (+ also look at
partner’s capital)
AND
2. Income: gross monthly income is max. £2,657 + disposable
income is max £733 per month. (+ also look at partner’s
income)
Costs consequences of legal aid funding:
If a client keeps/gains money or property at the end of their case, then
they may have to repay some or all of the legal aid costs. This is done
through a statutory charge.
Example of statutory charge on the money/property:
If client wins damages of £20,000
Court orders costs of £4,000, LAA costs of £5,000
Statutory charge on damages: £5,000 - £4,000 = £1,000
NO WIN NO FEE AGREEMENTS:
Conditional fee agreements (CFA):
If the client wins the case:
Pays to the solicitor: basic fee, disbursements, success fee (pays out
of pocket), insurance premium (pays out of pocket).
Recovers from the other side: solicitor’s basic fee, solicitor’s
disbursements, damages
If the client loses the case:
Pays to the solicitor: disbursements, insurance premium and damages
if there is a successful counterclaim
Recovers from the other side: nothing
Damages based agreements (DBA):
If lawyers lose the case, they do not recover any fees.
If lawyers win the case, the max recoverable amount is capped:
1. at 25% of the damages in personal injury cases,
2. 35% of damages in employment tribunal cases and
3. 50% of damages in all other cases.
Civil Litigation – Revision notes | Page 2 of 21
