TB - commencing proceedings Flashcards
a client has a claim worth £45,000 - which court should it be commenced in?
the county court
any claim with a financial value of less than £100,000 must be commenced in the county court
how long after a claim form has been issued by the court does it need to be served on the defendant?
the claimant has up to four months after the date the claim form was issued to serve it on the defendant
can a party be added to proceedings as a claimant once a claim has been issued?
yes
provided the court has received the relevant application, an amended copy of the claim form and particulars of claim showing the name of the new party and the written and signed consent of the party to be added, that party can be added as claimant after the claim has been issued
which of the following methods can’t be used to serve proceedings on an opponent?
post, text message or phone call
phone call - service by text message can only happen with the prior permission of the court and only in exceptional circumstances
service by post is most common
what are the grounds that need to be proved to add a party to proceedings prior to the expiration of the limitation period?
the applicant must prove to the court that either it’s desirable to add that new party so that the court can resolve all the matters in dispute in the proceedings, or there’s an issue involving the new party and an existing party which is connected to the matters in dispute in the proceedings, and it’s desirable to add the new party so that the court can resolve the issue
what is a claim form?
the form used to start proceedings in england and wales - generally includes a brief summary of the claim
what is meant by particulars of claim?
a separate document that’s served together with or after the claim form
sets out the material facts and legal cause of action being brought by the claimant
in england and wales, which court should civil claims be issued in
county court or high court
which court should claims worth £100,00 or less be commenced in
county court
which court should personal injury claims worth £50,000 or less be commenced in
county court
which court should claims worth £100,000 or more be commenced in
county court or high court
if the value of the claim is more than £100,000 (or £50,000 for personal injury claims) and:
- the case has complex facts
- the outcome of the case has an element of public interest
which court would be more appropriate?
high court
what is the primary driving factor behind the most appropriate court in which to issue proceedings?
the value of the claim
what does the CPR regard how the value of a claim is calculated
CPR 16.3(6) sets out the value of a claim is its financial worth disregarding…
- interest accumulated
- legal costs in pursuing the claim
- costs involved in pursuing any counterclaim
- any amount that may be claimed for contributory negligence (eg where the claimant has contributed to their injuries by their own negligence)
What is a counterclaim?
a claim made by the defendant to offset the claimants claim
counterclaim example
a claimant makes a claim for breach of contract to the value of £25,000
D admits breaching the contract but argues the claimant also breached the contract, costing him £15,000
D would therefore make a counterclaim against the claimant, which would be considered by the court as part of the same action
what are the three distinct divisions the HC is comprised of?
1) Kings Bench Division
2) Chancery Division
3) Family Division
does the family division hear civil claims in the areas of contract or tort?
no
what does the kings bench division hear?
contract and tort disputes that are complex and/or involve substantial sums of money
the kings bench division also contains several specialist courts. what are they?
- the administrative court
- the admiralty court
- the commercial court
- the mercantile court
- the technology and construction court
what kinds of cases does the chancery division typically hear?
wide range of civil cases
business or property disputes that are complex and/or involve substantial sums of money
which specialist courts does the chancery division incorporate?
- the insolvency and companies court
- the intellectual property enterprise court
- the patents court
which types of cases does the chancery division hear?
- land and property disputes
- mortgages
- trusts, admin of estates and probate matters
- bankruptcy
- partnerships and company matters
- intellectual property
NOTE
for claims that are complex or high-value, and are therefore appropriate to be issued in the HC - you must be able to identify which division or specialist court the matter is likely to be allocated to for SQE
PRACTICE EXAMPLE
Grantham Construction Limited were contractually engaged as structural engineers two years ago by Bright Houses Limited to design, assess and inspect the building of a block of flats in Manchester city centre.
Midway through the project, it became apparent that the building was at risk of structural failure .
Engineering experts were brought in to provide reports, some of which support the argument that structural failure is imminent and other which don’t support it.
The parties have been locked in dispute ever since.
BHL now wishes to commence proceedings against GCL for breach of contract, with a claim value of approx £450,000.
which would be the correct court to consider this claim?
High Court
matter would be heard by the technology and construction court within kings bench division
due to the fact that it’s valued at over £100,000 and is complex factually, given the disagreements in expert evidence
Who are proceedings issued by and when is this done?
issued by the court, once the claimant has filed the claim form, particulars of claim and any supporting evidence
how does the court issue the claim form?
by sealing the claim form (stops the limitation time running) and allocating a claim number to the case
once these steps have been taken, the claim form is regarded as being formally issued
once the claim form is issued, how long is it valid for?
four months
what happens after the claim form is issued?
the claimant or court must take a relevant step to serve the claim on the defendant within the four month period
the claim form must be served on all parties to the action within four months of the date of issue
the claim form is the doc used by a claimant to commence proceedings against a defendant. what is the claim form to be used in the majority of civil cases?
Form N1
What info does the N1 form ask for?
- claimant name and address
- defendant name and address
- brief details of claim
- claim value
- preferred county court hearing centre for hearing
- defendants address for service
- particulars of claim
- statement of truth
- claimants or their legal representatives address for correspondence
do the particulars of claim have to be included in the N1 or attached to the N1 in a separate doc?
either
what do the particulars of claim set out?
a detailed chronology of the facts of the case
specifies the legal elements of the claim that is being brought
evidence will accompany the particulars of claim, where appropriate, directed by the CPR
for SQE1 you may have to establish whether a claim form has been validly served. what would you need to know for this?1)
- how to serve the claim form
- where to serve the claim form
- when to serve the claim form
what are the two elements of how to validly serve the claim form?
1) the claimant must identify the appropriate method of service
2) the claimant must complete the relevant step
(ie what needs to be done by the claimant to validly serve the claim form for that patrticular method of service)
the permitted methods of service are set out in CPR 6.3
What are they?
- personal service
- first class post or doc exchange
- leaving the claim form at a specified place
- fax or other means of electronic communication
- any other method authorised by the court